Where You Lead
by bex2313
Summary: Mal and her 3 best friends need a scholarship to Auradon Prep to escape the poverty and crime of Varin, their hometown. There are complications and conflicts as two very different worlds collide in this Gilmore Girls AU retelling of Descendants (Ben is like Rory and Mal like Jess) featuring Bal, background Devie and hints of Jarlos. (Crossposted to AO3)
1. A New Beginning

Benjamin Florian Villenueve served as one of six student representatives on the Auradon Preparatory School Admissions and Scholarship Board. He was also freshman class president and a journalist for the school newspaper, and everyone knew that he was very committed to doing what was best for the school. So his fellow board members were all quite shocked when he made a bold suggestion one Monday afternoon in early April.

"I think we need to provide scholarships for some of the students at Dragon Hall," Ben said, trying to infuse his words with as much confidence as possible, all while steeling himself for the backlash that he assumed would follow.

"Excuse me, Ben," squeaked out his Headmistress amidst several gasps and a bit of whispering. "What makes you think that we ought to do such a thing?"

Ben smiled. "Thank you for asking, Headmistress Paxson. The fact is, Dragon Hall is one of the worst schools in the state. And yet, they have some brilliant students. I know that that town is not great. I know those neighborhoods are full of crime and poverty and brokenness. But those students have just as much right to a good education as I do. And they need it more. Because I'm going to succeed no matter what. My parents can afford to send me to college-any college I want, in fact. Those kids need all the help they can get."

The muttering continued, but Miss Bell, the AP US History teacher, stood up. "I think that's a great idea. This place could use a bit of shaking up." When that statement earned her an angry glare from the chemistry teacher, she grinned mischievously. "We want to be the best and produce the best. Sometimes, that means shaking things up a bit. In an earthquake, the strongest and most necessary structures are revealed. Then, from the rubble, you can rebuild better than before, taking all of that into account."

The muttering got louder and became a full clamour within a millisecond. Headmistress Paxson tried to clap her hands to get everyone's attention, and when that didn't work, she had to shout. "Would you all please refrain from all of this chatter!" She exclaimed, and finally, the students, teachers, and trustees who made up the ASB quieted down and looked at the headmistress expectantly.

"Now tell us, Mr. Villenueve, what students you have in mind for these scholarships. And how did they come to your attention?"

"My friend Doug and I were chatting with Fred White, you know, he runs that diner in Pixie Hollow? And he was telling me about his niece and her friends, and how incredible they are in spite of the situation they grew up in. And it got me thinking, maybe I could help. Their names are Evelyn Grimhilde, Carlos DeVil, Jason Vizier, and Mallory Faison. Fred showed me Evelyn's transcripts and said that the other kids are just as good academically. He even said that he and his wife Snow would take them all in for the school year if tuition was covered. They do live in a pretty big place, you know. I hear she's an heiress."

Headmistress Paxson sighed. "Benjamin, it is noble to want to do something so kind for those in unfortunate circumstances, but we cannot simply hand out scholarships based on your friendship with this diner owner."

"Technically, it's more Doug's friendship. He's the one who lives in that town. But, more to the point, we can't just refuse them scholarships without consideration if they submit formal applications." And with that, Ben placed four application packets in front of the headmistress with a flourish.

"I see…" the headmistress was clearly thinking. "If the materials they have provided are sufficient, they will still have to take an aptitude test for the scholarships."

"Definitely, yeah, they know that. They're prepared to take it next Saturday. If you accept their applications of course," he finished quickly, trying to show deference to the admissions board.

The headmistress picked up the application packet on top of the stack. "Mallory Faison. Hmm." She handed all of the applications to her secretary. "Please make copies of all of these applications for the board. And one for our files, of course. Everyone, please consider their applications and come to Wednesday's meeting prepared to discuss admission for these four students. Now, let's move on to the applications for incoming freshmen."

Ben pulled his phone out under the table and sent Doug a quick text: "There's a chance!"

* * *

The following Saturday, four teenagers dressed mostly in leather arrived at Auradon Prep to take an aptitude test. Mallory, who preferred to go by Mal, had deep violet hair, green eyes, and clean pale skin. On her right was Evelyn, Evie for short, with waist-long black hair that looked almost blue in bright light, flawlessly made up skin, and clear brown eyes. Carlos stood on Mal's other side with bleached white hair, thick, dark eyebrows, and covered in freckles. Jay, short for Jason, was the last member of the group. His long brown hair hung down near the bottom of his ribcage, and his dark eyes swam with emotion, even though he tended to be a man of few words.

Ben saw them walking toward the building from the Headmistress's office, where he was waiting as the Student Ambassador to these potential classmates. "They're here!" he exclaimed. Headmistress Paxson waved vaguely at him while she maintained focus on her computer screen.

"That's nice, dear. Go ahead and meet them at the entrance and escort them to Ms. Bell's classroom, as she will be proctoring their test. I'll come and see them after they finish."

Ben didn't hesitate to step out of the headmistress's office and move toward the double doors that led outside. He was so relieved to have gotten to this moment. The follow-up meeting about these four had been tense, but ultimately, Ben had swayed enough of the faculty members and trustees on the ASB, including his mother, who was the school librarian. Now, all the Dragon Hall kids had to do was pass this test, and they were in!

When Ben reached the entrance, he flung open the door and felt a huge smile come over his face. "Welcome to Auradon Prep! This is such a big deal! I am overjoyed at the fact that this moment has come upon us! Please, step inside!" He gave them a welcoming, albeit a tad dramatic, flourish of his arm and stepped aside to invite them in.

Mal rolled her eyes. "Can you show us to the bathrooms before we go through with any cultish ceremonies surrounding admissions?" She asked. "We had a long bus ride."

"Of course. Sorry. A bit too intense?" Ben chuckled, trying to show that he could laugh at himself, even if he was also laughing from nerves. _Do they ever smile _he thought to himself.

"Ha. Yeah. Just a little," Mal said with a scrunched nose and a slightly sarcastic smile. "I'm Mal. This is Evie, Carlos, and Jay." Mal gestured to each of her friends as she said their names. "But I wasn't kidding. I want to hit the bathrooms before I have to sit for a four hour test."

"Oh, for sure!" Ben led them down the hallway toward Ms. Bell's history classroom. "It's super convenient, the classroom where you guys are taking the test is right across the hall from the bathrooms, actually." No one responded, and Ben was feeling a little uncomfortable in the silence, so he tried again. "So, what do you guys do for fun? I'm a big reader, and I hang out with my friend Doug, who's in a band, and my parents and I are really close, especially my mom. It's the whole reading thing. She's actually the librarian here, which is cool. She always has a great book recommendation and is full of random facts and-wow. I'm rambling. Sorry. I asked what you guys like to do."

Mal snorted. "Are you always this nervous talking to kids from the slums?"

"I don't know?" Ben said sheepishly. "I don't think it's because you're from a slum, exactly. I think it's because you guys are an unknown for me? Like, I'm from Auradon, which is a decent-sized city, and my best friend Doug is from Pixie Hollow, which is a quaint small town. And I've been to the bigger cities too, like Camelot and Paris, I even visited Northern Wei once. I've met people from all over, but I don't know anyone else who comes from a culture like yours. And I know very little about it."

"All you need to know is that we would do just about anything to get out of it," Jay chimed in.

Ben didn't know how to respond, so he just didn't. After a moment, Evie spoke up. "I'm really into fashion. I spend a lot of time designing and making my own clothes. And Mal's." After a strange look from Carlos, she shrugged. "He asked what we like to do."


	2. The Moment of Truth

One week later, Mal got a letter in the mail with a snooty crest on the envelope. She immediately pulled out her phone and shot off a text to her best friend. "It came. Have you gotten yours yet?"

Within seconds, Evie responded. "Yup. Carlos too. We're headed to the workshop now."

Evie and Carlos lived in the same apartment building and frequently walked together from their building to the abandoned cabin where the teenagers frequently hung out. Mal had discovered it one night when she was about ten. Her mother had been drinking again, and she didn't want to be around to deal. So she went walking toward the high school because she didn't know where else to go. Eventually, it began to rain, but she didn't want to go home, so she crept into the woods hoping it would be drier. Eventually, she happened upon the cabin. It was dark, and a bit dilapidated, but dry. She slept there, and the next morning, in the light of day, realized that it was completely abandoned. It became her place where she went when her mom started getting… difficult. She started going to the cabin to work on and store her art, because her mom didn't think it was a worthy use of her time. It became her workshop. And when she became friends with Evie, Carlos, and Jay, all four of them used the space to hang out and take refuge from their real lives. And that was where they went to meet to open their letters from Auradon Prep.

On her way to the cabin, Mal passed by Jay's dad's shop. She stepped inside. "Hey Mr. Vizier. Jay?"

Jay's dad gestured to the back without looking up, or even a word to the young woman. He was clearly distracted, trying to get the cash register to open. It seemed to be quite stuck.

Mal breezed past him to the back room where Jay was laying on the floor, asleep. As usual when she found him this way, Mal nudged him with her shoe as she moved toward his dad's desk where the mail was waiting. She rifled through it as she said, "Jay, get up. Our letters came."

Jay was a light sleeper and had no problem waking up, even in spite of the gentleness of Mal's tactics.

"Here it is! Let's go!" Mal dropped the rest of the mail back on the desk and gave Jay a hand standing up. He fixed the red beanie that was sitting crooked upon his head, pulled on his boots, and followed Mal out the door.

* * *

When Mal and Jay arrived at the workshop, Carlos and Evie were already there. Carlos was sitting at the desk, where he had used old parts to build a computer. Meanwhile, Evie sat with a sketchbook on the old red loveseat that sank too deep when you sat on it-it was definitely broken. When Mal and Jay walked in, Evie and Carlos got up and moved to the old circle table in the middle of the room. Whenever they had something big to discuss, the table is where they set up.

"So, let's open our letters." Mal's voice was matter-of-fact, but she knew Evie could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"M, should we talk about what we'll do if it doesn't go the way we want?" her best friend asked, reaching across the table to still Mal's hands about to open the envelope.

"What is there to discuss? If we get in with scholarships, great, we go. If we didn't get in or didn't get scholarships, then we stay. I don't see what we should discuss."

"What if some of us get scholarships and others don't?" voiced Carlos.

"Guys, I know I'm the weak link," Jay began.

"Don't say that. You're brilliant," Evie tried to reassure him.

"You guys are all way smarter than I am. I know it, you know it. It's okay. If you guys get scholarships, you have to go. I'll make it through Dragon Hall."

Mal's eyes widened. The thought that they might be separated hadn't even occurred to her. The four of them had been together for so long that she couldn't picture them separated. "No. We need each other. Either we all go, or none of us do. Right?"

Evie smiled. "Absolutely."

Carlos nodded. "For sure."

Jay shook his head. "I won't let you give up the opportunity to get out of this hole. Not for me."

Then Carlos piped up. "Okay, that's totally hypothetical. We don't know if any of us got scholarships. Let's just open the envelopes and find out. Then we can argue about reality instead of imagination. Because Jay, let's face it, you may not be as great with computers as I am," Carlos smirked teasingly at his friend, "but you are smart. Don't undersell yourself."

"Carlos is right. Let's just open the envelopes and see how the chips fell." And with that, Mal picked up her envelope and tore it open. The other three followed her lead. "We read on the count of three, okay? One. Two. Three." And with that, Mal unfolded the sheet of paper in her hands and read the following:

_Dear Ms. Faison, _

_I am writing to you on behalf of the Auradon Preparatory School's Admissions and Scholarship Board. We have carefully looked over your application materials, as well as your aptitude test results, and are pleased to offer you a spot in the sophomore class for the upcoming academic year. We would also like to extend to you a full tuition waiver provided_

Mal didn't even bother finishing the letter. She looked up to see the reactions of her friends. Jay's face was neutral, unsurprisingly. He had always been good at keeping his feelings hidden. Evie, on the other hand, looked ready to explode with joy. Mal was impressed that she hadn't squealed or jumped up and down yet. Carlos's eyes were huge, but Mal wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or a bad thing. He looked surprised, but it could be surprise either way.

"Well?" She asked, one eyebrow raised. "E?"

Evie's smile was enormous. "I got it. Full scholarship!"

"Carlos?"

"Same." Carlos's eyes were still big, still staring at the letter. "I can't believe it."

Mal turned to Jay. "And?"

Jay's neutral face cracked into a huge smile. "I'm there. Tuition completely waived!"

Evie squealed. "Yes! I knew it! M, you're in too, of course, right?" Mal's smile was all Evie needed. "We're going to Auradon Prep!"

* * *

That afternoon, Mal sat on the old couch in the living room, waiting on her mother to get home from she-didn't-know-nor-was-she-going-to-ask. She hadn't yet said anything to her about possibly changing schools or going to live with E's uncle. But she had to now, or else it wouldn't happen. She just had to convince her that it would be best.

After she had been waiting for twenty minutes, her mom finally appeared. She looked unhappy, which did not bode well for Mal. Unfortunately, unhappy days were far more frequent than happy ones, and Mal didn't have time to wait.

"Hey Mom. How's it going?" Instead of responding, her mother slammed the door. Mal cringed, but pressed on. "So, I have something I wanted to talk to you about. . ." She drifted off, waiting to see the response, if any, her mother had. Of course, she got none. "You know Evie? Well, her uncle knows someone at Auradon Preparatory School over in Auradon. He convinced them to let us apply and take tests for scholarship eligibility." Still, no response. If she didn't know better, she would have thought her mother wasn't listening at all. But her mother was always listening. "Well, we got our answer today. They let us in. And gave us full scholarships. But I would have to live closer to the school for it to be practical. So Evie's uncle volunteered to let us live with him for the school year." Mal paused, and her mother finally turned to look at her, her eyes full of cunning. Mal could tell she was plotting something. She waited for her to speak, and when she didn't, she asked, "So? Whaddya think? Can I go?"

The thing about Mal's mom was that she was a con artist. She schemed her way into people's lives, convinced them to give her all their money, and ran. She could seem like a lovely, gentle, friendly person when she wanted to, but was all the while planning to stab you in the back. So when she smiled and said, "Of course you can, dearie," Mal knew trouble was brewing.

"You can go to your fancy, expensive prep school. But you have to go _my way._ You have to help me get my biggest score ever. After all, you're going to be among the children of the wealthiest, most elite members of the state."

Mal inwardly winced, but kept a neutral face. She couldn't afford to show weakness. "How much?"

Her mother cackled. "How does a million sound? For starters. Otherwise, I'll pull you out of Auradon Prep _and _Dragon Hall. And you can forget about seeing your friends ever again."

Mal stared into her mother's eyes, unblinking, for as long as she could. This test of wills was their unspoken way of determining who would come out on top when they disagreed. Mal looked away first. "Fine."


	3. An Interlude

Ben was studying for his AP Geography test when his phone chimed. He had received a text from Doug. _Dude! They're all coming to AP! _

Ben couldn't help but grin. _I know! This is great, right? Did Frank tell you?_

_Yeah! And in celebration, he invited me to the diner for burgers and shakes on the house. You should totally come! _

Ben looked at the clock. It was a 30 minute bus ride to Pixie Hollow and already past 5 o'clock. And he really needed to study for the AP test. But hey, he could study on the bus ride there, and Mrs. Dweorg would probably offer him a ride home. He could be home by 8 for sure. So he texted back _Absolutely! I'll see you soon! _and shoved his books and notes into his backpack, rushing to catch the next bus up the street.

* * *

After what felt like an interminable bus ride, Ben arrived in Pixie Hollow. He hopped off the bus near the gazebo in the center of town and called Doug. "Hey man. Are you at home, or did you head to Frank's already?"

"I'm about to leave. You in town?"

"Yeah, I'm on a bench next to the gazebo."

"Great, I'll see you in five."

After Doug ended the call, Ben slipped his phone into a side pocket of his backpack and pulled out a small, tattered copy of _A Tale of Two Cities._ He was reading about Madame Defarge and her meticulous knitting, and even in spite of the warm weather, he shivered.

"Aw, come on. Don't tell me you're scared of a book character now, are you?" Ben looked up to see Mallory standing outside of Frank's. Her mocking tone was softened by the mischievous smile on her face.

"Are _you _familiar with Madame Defarge? She literally knits people to death!" Ben called back to her.

Mallory walked over and sat down next to him on the bench. She rolled her eyes at him. "She does not _literally _knit people to death. She uses her knitting as a way to pass the names of people who should die to the revolution. Different."

Ben made a skeptical face. "Technically and semantically, I see the difference. Morally, I don't think the difference exists."

"You have a strong moral compass?" Mallory asked, one curved, dark eyebrow raised.

"I'd say so. What about you?" he asked with a smile.

Mallory's eyebrow dropped and her smile slid right off her face. "I don't know. I guess we'll find out."

The two sat in silence for a moment, which made Ben uncomfortable. He felt like perhaps he had pushed some boundary, which was ridiculous because she had started it. As he thought of it, he said "So you're coming to Auradon Prep!" in an overly cheerful voice.

Mallory gave him a grim smile. "As long as I do as my mother says."

Before Ben could ask what that meant, Doug walked over. "Hey Ben! Oh!" He stopped in his tracks when he saw Mallory. "Uh, Mallory, right?"

Ben watched the purple-haired young woman scrunch her nose in displeasure. "Just Mal. Please." Ben made a mental note. Mal. Not Mallory.

"Oh, okay. Well, I'm Doug." He held out his hand.

Mal gave him a dubious look before shaking it. "Well, it's nice to meet you, but I'm actually leaving. Just checking out the place I'll be living. But I've got to get back to my mom. She decided to make _plans _for us tonight." Mal's eyes flashed for the briefest of moments when she said the word "plans," and Ben couldn't help but wonder why. "See you in September!" Mal breezed on by them toward the bus waiting on the corner.

"So that's one of them," Doug said, his voice full of uncertainty.

"Yep. Are you having second thoughts about what we just did? You know, getting them into our school?" Ben asked, knowing he could expect honesty from his best friend.

Doug hesitated for a moment, before saying confidently, "You saw how she looked when she mentioned her mom, right?" Ben nodded. "No second thoughts."

"Same."

Doug's serious face broke into a smile. "Great. Now let's go get those burgers."

As they walked to the diner, Ben got a text from his girlfriend. He figured he would text her back when they got to the diner, and slipped his phone back into his pocket. Doug gave him a sideways glance. "Does Audrey know?"

Ben gave his friend a confused glance. "Why does it matter? Do you think she'll care?"

Doug let out a single short, breathy laugh. "Yeah, I think she'll care. She's not exactly the gentlest person out there. And she likes to know _everything _as soon as it happens. And since the school doesn't make announcements like this…"

"But this is probably a non-event. I mean, we're getting new students. We get new students every year. And I doubt Mal or Evelyn is going to force their way onto her cheer squad or run for homecoming court. They probably won't even be on her radar." Ben paused, thinking for a moment as he held the door for Doug. "Yeah. She won't care. And she'll never have to know that it was _my _proposal that brought them here."

Doug clapped him on the shoulder as he stepped into the diner. "Sure, dude. Whatever you say."


	4. The Real Beginning

Summer passed quickly for Mal. Her mother had forced her to practice picking pockets, telling elaborate lies, and always having an exit strategy. She had Mal do research on her classmates and develop profiles of them to help determine the best mark. Mal was miserable, and very very stuck.

After several weeks, Mal broke, and confessed her situation to Evie. Although Mal assumed her friend would keep the information to herself, Evie knew that she couldn't keep something so important from Jay and Carlos. The three discussed the situation and determined that, considering the stakes, Evie, Jay, and Carlos would do everything they could to help Mal. Even though it had never been said outright, they all knew that Mal was their leader, their lynchpin, the glue that held them all together. She never wanted anyone to know it, but she cared deeply for all of them and looked out for them always. Evie, Jay, and Carlos decided it was their turn to look after Mal.

When the three friends confronted Mal and explained what they knew, Mal didn't know what to expect. It wasn't like the four of them were exactly poster children for good behavior-heaven knows such a person could never survive at Dragon Hall-but standing up for yourself and using whatever resources you had to protect yourself and your people was a lot different than conning a million dollars out of an unsuspecting teenager. When they told her that they would risk expulsion-or worse-just to help her appease her mother, she nearly cried. But she couldn't bear to be seen crying, so she blinked back her tears, smiled grimly, and said, "I guess we'd better get to work."

* * *

The day before school started, Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos moved their meagre possessions into Fred and Adriana White's spacious, three-bedroom house in Pixie Hollow.

When Mal saw the room that Adriana (affectionately called 'Snow' by her friends) had set up for her and Evie, she couldn't help but sneer just a little at the pink wall paper, frilly curtains, and floral quilts on the beds. "Wow. This is-"

"Amazing," breathed Evie beside her, and Mal couldn't help but roll her eyes. As much as she loved her, sometimes Evie was too much of a girlie-girl for comfort.

"If you say so," she muttered, before yanking the curtains closed. She tossed her suitcase on the bed to the right of the room and sat down at the desk beside it. "So, I think my best bet for a mark is Benjamin Villenueve. Ben. His dad is some big hotshot lawyer and his mom was the sole heir to some big R&D firm. I guess her dad was a crazy inventor, and one of his creations became very popular. Anyway, the family is _loaded, _and Ben himself seems pretty easy to manipulate." She had pulled a notebook out of her backpack and was flipping through it.

"_And _it doesn't hurt that he's _really _good looking!" Evie added with a smirk while she organized her closet based on outfit occasion. "Ugh, I can't believe we have to wear _uniforms! _This will _definitely _cramp my style."

"Whether he's attractive or not doesn't really matter. What matters is what the best angle would be to get him, or, more practically, his parents, to fork over a million dollars."

"A sob story? Some kind of research?"

"Ugh, I don't know. But I have the school year to figure it out. For now, I just have to get in his good graces. And eventually, convince him to date me."

"You know he's already got a girlfriend, right?" Evie tossed her phone to her friend. She had pulled up a picture on Instagram of a preppy looking brunette wearing a bright pink dress kissing Ben on the cheek. Ben was smiling uncertainly at the camera. The caption read _So proud of my Bennyboo for becoming freshman class president! You can do anything benfville15! #boyfriend #mcm #freshmanfirstlady _

Mal rolled her eyes and scrolled through princess_audrey14's Instagram account. "This girl looks like she's more interested in Ben's money than we are. Also, does she _only _wear pink? I mean, I get having a favorite color, but even _I _wear colors other than black and purple! And does _anyone _need lashes _that _long? It's so obvious that they're fake, and they look so inconvenient. I mean, no girl who wore glasses could _ever _wear lashes that ridiculously long! She looks fake," Mal concluded. "And Ben doesn't strike me as a guy who likes fake all that much."

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow," Evie said with a shrug as she turned to Mal's closet. "I know you don't care, but you _have _to let me organize your closet too. I promise, it'll help!"

* * *

For the first day of school, Fred and Snow decided to drive everyone. It required two cars, because Snow drove a family sedan and Fred an old green truck. "You know, I've been wanting to get an SUV for a while now," commented Fred to Mal and Jay as they hopped into his Chevy. "This seems like a good reason to."

Jay just shrugged from the passenger seat. "That's nice, Mr. White, but since we'll be taking the bus to and from school most of the time, it doesn't seem like it's worth it."

Mal saw the genuine smile on Fred's face. "Yeah, but it'll be nice to be able to fit everyone in one car, even if it's not strictly necessary." She couldn't help but think that this guy had no idea what kind of girl he had just let into his world. Fred turned on the radio to a classic rock station, and they drove into Auradon without another word.

When they arrived at the school, Fred and Snow parked in Visitor Parking and escorted their young charges into the office. There waiting was Headmistress Paxson. "Why hello, you four. And Mr. and Mrs. White. So lovely to see you. Please, step into my office."

The odd-looking group of six followed the headmistress past the receptionist directly into her office. She sat down at her desk, but there were only two other chairs available. After a glance at Evie, Mal gestured to Snow and Fred to sit. Fred smiled but shook his head.

"Well, I just want to say welcome to Auradon Prep! This is a very challenging school you've just entered. We have one of the most difficult high school curricula in the state. Our alumni have gone to some of the most prestigious universities in the world, including Princeton, Harvard, Oxford, MIT, and many others. As new students in the tenth grade, you may find that you are academically behind some of your peers. That is to be expected. All I can say is that we would not have admitted you if we did not believe that you are 100% capable of catching up and reaching the high standard that we hold for each and every one of our pupils.

"Now, that having been said, I need to address with you the honor code. Plagiarism is an expellable offense. Cheating of any kind is not to be tolerated, and will indubitably result in a failing grade on the assignment in question. Any illegal behavior is also prohibited, and may also lead to expulsion. Any offense worthy of expulsion or long-term suspension goes before the Student Honor Court. Any other offense comes straight to me for sentencing, although you may petition for the Honor Court if you feel you have been treated unfairly.

"I'm glad to see that you are all dressed in your AP uniforms! You really look like Auradon Prep students!"

"Well, they are," commented Fred with a slight smirk.

"Yes, of course! And as they are, they should be off to class! I've asked a member of last year's student council to come and show you where you need to go, how to find your lockers, that sort of thing. I've actually got a meeting with the Board of Trustees in twenty minutes, and classes will be starting soon, so let's get you on your way!"

Before she even realized it was happening, Mal and her friends were being shepherded out into the lobby of the main office with no idea what they were doing. Fred and Snow smiled at them. "I hope you all have a great day!" Snow exclaimed before pulling all of them into a group hug. Mal felt herself grimace as some of Snow's hair ended up in her mouth, and she did _not _return the embrace.

Fred must have seen her face, because he pulled Snow back before she could do anything else. "We've got to get back to the diner. We left George in charge, but we all know he can be a bit grumpy with the customers." He slipped his hand into his wife's, waved at the group, and walked back out of the school and into the real world. Mal couldn't help but envy them a bit. Okay, a lot.

* * *

Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos stood around waiting for a moment in the lobby. "Do you think she told whoever this tour guide person is to come here? Or should we be out in the hallway waiting, do you think?" Carlos asked.

Mal was looking at her reflection in a mirror on the wall to the right of reception. "Eh, I think we should wait here another minute. We got here pretty early since Snow and Fred drove us." She looked over the plain white button-down blouse with a peter pan collar and the blue and gold tartan skirt. "Blue and gold is _definitely _not in my color wheel. It really doesn't work with my hair." She gave her reflection a final, disdainful once-over and then turned to look at her friends. Jay looked uncomfortable wearing a jacket and tie-probably for the first time in his life. His hair was left hanging down his back, and he was pulling at a hair band on his wrist-the only sign he was nervous. Even his eyes looked calm, but that wasn't enough to fool Mal. Carlos was stretching his fingers like he was about to start typing, only to realize that he didn't actually have a computer in front of him. Then he would wipe his hands on his khaki pants as though they were sweaty (they probably weren't) and then do it again. Even Evie looked a little nervous. She had pulled out her compact mirror and was double checking her eyeliner, even though she never left the house until it was perfect. Then she moved on to checking her headband braid for frizz, which she also made impossible before leaving the house.

Mal couldn't help but give her friends a disbelieving look. "Guys, we'll be fine. Would it make anyone feel better if we waited in the hallway?" But before anyone could respond, the door opened and a lanky, brown-haired guy with glasses and green eyes. He definitely looked at home in the school uniform, unlike the four of them. But Mal knew she had seen him before. "Oh, Doug, right? You're friends with Ben?"

Doug smiled. "Yeah, that's right! You have a good memory! I'm Doug Dweorg, and I'm showing you guys around for the day. As it happens, I also live in Pixie Hollow, so we'll probably be taking the bus together most days too. Let's go-oh."

Mal just barely kept herself from rolling her eyes at the boy in front of her. He was clearly struck dumb the moment Evie put her compact down and he got an unobstructed view of her face.

"Oh," he said again. After less than a second, he snapped out of it. "Um, sorry. I just realized. I know about you guys because of Fred, but introductions?" He asked awkwardly.

Carlos stepped over to him and shook his hand. "I'm Carlos deVil. The man with the luscious locks is Jay Vizier, Mal Faison is the girl with purple hair, and the hideous old hag is Evie Grimhilde."

"Hey! Rude!" Evie exclaimed and then shoved him playfully. "Would you want to be called the white-haired midget?"

"You call me that _all the time," _Carlos responded. Then he looked at Doug conspiratorially. "Girls, am I right?" Unfortunately, he happened to glance at Mal right then and his face instantly changed to mild panic. "Um, but actually, let's get going on that tour. We don't want to be late for class, do we?"

Doug clearly didn't know what to do with that exchange, so he half-shrugged, almost as if to himself, and then carried on. "Well, I have your schedules, and I'll definitely show you how to get to your classes," he passed a single sheet of paper to each of them, "but I figured we should probably start with lockers, and then the library. At the library we can go ahead and get you your school-issued computers. What do you think?"

Mal shrugged. "That sounds fine. Let's go." She stepped out into the hallway, then turned and waited. "You coming?"

Doug gave a nervous laugh before following. "We're headed this way, toward the sophomore wing. Most of our classes will be down this hall or the hallway above us."

As Doug continued to drone on about what was around them, she definitely couldn't help but think that it was going to be a _long _day.


	5. The Honeymoon Phase

On that first day, Mal could feel the eyes of her classmates on her at all times. Being led everywhere by Doug, she knew they stood out. Even when she slipped from the hallway into the bathroom, she knew that the whispers that abruptly stopped were about her and her friends. But she was the most noticeable. After all, purple hair isn't exactly normal, especially around here. So she knew that people were mostly talking about her. And staring at her. So she wasn't surprised to be taunted by some of the other girls.

"Hey, who are you?" asked a familiar face in a sugary sweet tone. _Oh my gosh, it's her, _Mal thought to herself.

"Oh, you're Audrey." Mal almost laughed at the surprise on the girl's face.

"Who told you who I am?" she asked in an accusatory tone. "And who are you?"

Mal just smirked. "Your Instagram is public. You weren't hard to find. Especially since you date Ben, who was class president last year."

"How do you know Ben? And just for the record, he'll be class president this year too!"

"Ben was the Student Ambassador who escorted us to our entrance exam in April." Mal knew that keeping tight lipped would drive this girl just crazy enough to be annoying to Ben in the future.

"Us? April? What?" Audrey was clearly confused, but Mal just smiled at her over her shoulder as she walked out the door. "Who are you?" Audrey called, but Mal didn't bother responding, other than one quick phrase.

"See you later!" she responded in a sugary tone equal to Audrey's.

* * *

Later that day, Doug had grabbed Mal and the gang to take them to lunch. Fred and Snow had actually packed each of them a lunch, so they grabbed their brown bags from their lockers and headed to the cafeteria.

"Man, you guys are lucky," commented Doug. "Fred is a great cook, and Snow makes some amazing pastries. I bet whatever you've got beats the cafeteria food. Although really, just about anything would beat the cafeteria food. It's pretty awful." Just then, the noise of students talking and laughing got exponentially louder. "Here's the cafeteria," said Doug as they turned the corner. "I'll take you to our table, and then I've gotta grab my lunch from the line. But Ben will be here in a minute. He always brings his lunch too. He just gets a little caught up on his way here by his girlfriend Audrey. In the fall, she spends her lunch hour with the homecoming committee."

Doug escorted them to a table near a window to the left of the cafeteria, and then left to grab his own lunch. Mal sat with her back to the window so she could face the room. When Doug was gone, Mal gave her friends a look. "So, how's everyone's day _really _going?"

Evie smiled. "There's a _really _cute guy in my physics class. His name is Chad, and I think he might like me! He stared at me _all _through class."

"Oh yeah, Chad Charmont, right? His dad is, like, the king of oil. He owns half of Texas. And his mom is a small business owner. She runs a maid service. I don't know, E. I haven't met him, but I don't get a great vibe from what I do know." She could see Evie beginning to protest, but before the words could even form on her lips, Mal continued. "I'm not saying don't flirt with him, I'm just saying be… aware."

Evie rolled her eyes. "Yes, mom," she said in a lightly mocking tone as she pulled open her brown paper bag.

"So what about you guys? How are things going for you?" Mal turned her attention to Jay and Carlos, whose lunches were already half gone. "Seriously? We've been here for like, two seconds."

Before Jay or Carlos could respond, Mal noticed Ben moving toward the table. "Oh great. Here comes Prince Ben. Or I guess I should say, President Ben."

Evie bumped her with her shoulder. "Ooh, is there some emotion you're trying to hide behind that snark?"

"Oh, whatever. Just eat." By then, Ben had arrived.

"Hey guys! How's your first day going?" he asked with so much enthusiasm it was a little painful.

"Peachy. Everyone is so _good _here." Mal responded.

Ben looked at her like he didn't quite know how to respond. "I mean, I think people here are pretty great. My friends Chad and Lonnie will be sitting with us at lunch today. And obviously, Doug will be here too. I think you'll like them.

"What about your _girlfriend_?" Evie asked pointedly. Mal gave her a dirty look, but Ben didn't notice. He looked a little surprised at the question.

"Oh, Audrey? She has Homecoming Committee stuff to do. You know, a float to design, a dance to plan…"

"An election to rig?" Mal added caustically.

"Audrey wouldn't rig the elections for homecoming court. She can be a little… competitive. And high-strung. But she's definitely honest. Why would you think otherwise?"

"It's just a _vibe _I get. I met her today, you see."

"Yeah, I heard. I promise you'll like her more when you get to know her."

"Ha ha, yeah," Mal fake laughed. "I'm sure."

Just then a tall boy with curly blond hair walked over and sat down next to Ben. "Chad! Hey! These are some transfer students. Oh, and here comes Lonnie!" A thin, athletic Asian-American girl came over and sat on Chad's other side.

"Hey guys! Um, hi. I'm Lonnie, a friend of Ben and Chad's," she said, immediately addressing the new kids.

"This is Mal, Carlos, Jay, and Evie," Ben said quickly.

"It's great to meet you guys! So tell me, what sort of things are you into?" Lonnie asked, immediately trying to begin a conversation. "Are you athletes, or maybe into dance? Or theater? We have an impressive theater department here."

Jay spoke up first. "I'm an athlete. Pretty much anything that involves a ball, I'm there. Football, basketball, soccer, even volleyball, although I know guys don't play high school volleyball. But it's good for the reflexes, ya know?"

"I do. I'm on the volleyball team. Of course, that's not my only interest. I'm also a dancer, I run track, and I'm on the fencing team."

"Fencing? You guys have fencing here? That's something I'd be interested in trying."

"Yeah, fencing is great. You totally should. Really, we should hit the gym together sometime. I could teach you the basics, and if you're any good, I'm sure Coach Brunson would love to have you on our team."

"Dude, that would be great! Although I was also hoping to get in touch with the football coach? I know I missed camp and tryouts and stuff, but I was hoping I could maybe work out with the team so if I'm still here next year, I could have a shot."

"Oh, for sure. Coach Jenkins is super cool. If you want, we can head down to his office before lunch is over and I can introduce you to him."

"For real? That would be awesome, thanks!"

"Oh, for sure. And here, let me get your number, and we should definitely schedule a gym day sometime soon."

"Definitely," Jay agreed as they exchanged phones.

* * *

By this point, Doug had rejoined the table, and was clearly trying to get Evie's attention. However, Evie had been busy talking to (flirting with) Chad.

"So tell me, Chad, where's your girlfriend?" Evie asked, clearly not even trying to be subtle.

"Oh, I don't have a girlfriend," Chad said confidently. "I see a couple people every now and then, but nothing serious. You know."

"Oh yeah. I totally get it. So what do you like to do?" Evie asked, batting her eyelashes just a little too overtly.

"You know. I'm the second-string quarterback of the football team. I even played in a few games as a freshman. I also listen to music and run track."

"That sounds interesting. The quarterback is the one who throws the ball, right?" Evie asked.

Doug chimed in. "Well, usually. Sometimes the quarterback tries to run the ball against his coach's instructions and then gets tackled before he makes it a full yard."

Chad gave him a dirty look, and Evie just ignored him.

"So, you seemed super confident in physics this morning," Chad began. "What's your secret?"

Evie smiled. "Well, I have a great graphing calculator that really does most of the work for me."

"That's great. I want a graphing calculator, but since Mr. Delay doesn't require it, my mom says I should do it the old-fashioned way, like she did it. 'The real lesson is about working hard and solving problems,' she always says. Ugh. So annoying."

"Oh yeah, that is annoying."

"You know, I didn't see a graphing calculator on your desk in physics this morning, Evie," Doug said.

For a moment, Evie looked almost surprised that Doug was still there. "Oh. Well, it was there. I'm just pretty good at hiding it, I guess." Then she went back to flirting with Chad.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ben and Carlos were talking about their classes, while Mal ate silently between them.

"So, Ms. Bell seems pretty strict," Carlos said.

"She's strict, but really fair. And actually, a super friendly teacher. She and my mom are old friends."

"Oh right. We met your mom this morning, when we got our computers."

"Yeah, she's the head librarian. She's really great. Always gives great advice, always has a book recommendation or two."

"I know. In fact, when I mentioned that I'm really into coding, she showed me this website that I can use to teach myself some of the more complex coding languages. She's pretty cool."

"Oh, you're into coding? That's so cool. I'm pretty awful with technology in general, actually."

"Man, I am _beyond_ 'into coding.' I'm working on building this server for Mal and Evie to use to save all their work."

At that statement Mal gave him a dirty look that Ben definitely didn't miss. "Mal and Evie's work? What does that mean? And is there a reason you're annoyed that he mentioned it?" Ben asked Carlos and then Mal.

Carlos immediately looked a little guilty but still said, "Evie's designs. You know, fashion. She mentioned before that she likes designing clothes." Carlos gained confidence as he spoke, and the guilty tone left his voice. "So, after she's drawn the design, I scan it and upload it to this private server. But, there are still some kinks to be worked out. Ideally, once she's scanned the drawing, she'll be able to input the fabric types and the dimensions of the person she's designing it for, and she'll be able to see a slightly more real looking digital picture of the design. Not that her drawings aren't brilliant as they are, but they're definitely drawings, you know? What I'm trying to program it to do is more like CGI-animated films. But without all the work of actually animating it myself. Essentially, I'm trying to train the computer to animate it for me, using pre-determined information like colors and fabric types. The big problem is prints. They don't translate well. But either way, then her designs are permanently saved."

"That's so cool. But Mal, what about your work? Are you also into design?"

"Ha, yeah, no. I have my own kind of work that Carlos is good enough to save digitally for me, since not everyone is super _supportive_."

"So, what kind of work is it? Are you a writer?"

"Gosh no."

"A musical composer?"

"Yeah right."

"A visual artist?" Mal didn't answer. "No way, really? What's your medium?" Ben asked excitedly.

Mal glared at Carlos for a moment before turning her attention back to Ben. "Mostly pencil and paint. Sometimes I delve into watercolors, but only when I'm feeling really inspired."

"Can I see something that you've done?"

Mal shrugged, then pulled a sketchpad out of her backpack. She flipped through it, hiding its contents from prying eyes, until she found one that she was apparently satisfied with. She smiled nervously and handed him the book. "Here. This is the playground by the apartment I grew up in. It's where Jay and I first met when we were, I don't know, probably five?"

Ben looked at the pencil drawing. Even though it was in black and white, he felt like he could step right into it, maybe hop on the swings or glide down the slide. But more than just looking real, it also looked sad. Neglected. Not unloved, but certainly not taken care of very well. He realized that he really had no idea what these new kids had grown up in.

"Wow. That's amazing. Like, seriously beautiful."

Mal blushed. "You think?" she asked, and then quickly took back her sketchpad. Ben could practically see the walls going back up. "Well, let's talk about something else. You like to read, right?"

Ben smiled. "You should _totally _take advanced art." He shook his head, but then followed her conversation lead. "Yeah, I love to read. I read everything. _A Tale of Two Cities _is one of my favorites. I love Dickins. But I read all sorts of things. The last five books I read were _The Princess Bride, The Name of the Wind, It, A Collection of Poems_ by Edgar Allan Poe_, _and _The Grand Tour _which is a biography of Agatha Christie."

"Interesting, that's quite an assortment. Who knew that class president was also a nerd?"

"Technically, I'm not class president anymore, and I'm not _just _a nerd. I'm also really into music. Foreigner is one of my favorite bands of all time. And can you beat Metallica? Oh, or John Denver. He was amazing."

As he was about to begin discussing the finer points of John Denver's music, a short girl with a round face and nervous eyes tapped on his shoulder. "Um, Ben, I'm really sorry to bother you," she began.

"Jane! Hi! You're not bothering me. What do you need?"

She nervously brushed a piece of short brown hair behind her ear as she held out the tablet in her hand to him. "Audrey wanted to get your input on the theme for homecoming she decided on. She said that 'since you're her date, she wants to make sure that it has your approval.'" Ben took the tablet from her and swiped through the images there. "Yeah, I think this looks great. But of course, I'll be happy no matter what the committee decides."

Jane nodded nervously and took the tablet back, holding it tightly against her chest. "Okay, I'll let her know. Bye now."

But before she could run off, Ben grabbed her arm. "Jane, meet some of Auradon Prep's new students: Mal and Carlos. And then that's Jay talking to Lonnie about the pros and cons of baseball versus softball and Evie is chatting with Chad and Doug about, I think hair products? Anyway. Mal, Carlos, meet Jane Paxson. She's the headmistress's daughter."

Mal's smile looked more like she was going to devour Jane than befriend her. And Carlos looked zoned out and missed the introduction entirely, until Ben snapped his fingers and said, "Jane! You know what I just discovered? Carlos is into coding." Carlos looked up when he heard his name, and Ben continued, now addressing Carlos. "Carlos, Jane is the school's webmaster, and unofficially in charge of the unofficial AV club." He turned back to Jane. "Didn't you say you were having some issues with the layout? Maybe Carlos could help."

Jane's eyes grew really big. "Oh, I don't want to bother you. I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually-" she began, but Carlos interrupted her.

"I don't want to step on your toes or anything, but I would love to look at it if you want a second pair of eyes."

Jane's eyes brightened. "Well, that would be great, if you really don't mind. Could I maybe steal you during free period tomorrow?"

"Absolutely. Meet in the library?"

Jane smiled. "That would be great. I'll see you there!" she said with a wave before scurrying off.

Ben smiled at Mal. "I think you guys are gonna fit in just fine here, even if you are from the slums of Varin."

"The thing is Ben, every relationship has a honeymoon period. We'll just have to wait and see how long this one lasts. After all, it's only day one."


	6. Getting to Know the New Kids

On a Wednesday about two weeks into the semester, Ben stopped by the library immediately after school. "Hey Mom! How are things?" he asked as he flopped onto the couch in her office. His backpack fell on the floor beside him with a thud.

"Hi Ben. Things are fine. I'm just trying to get ready for a presentation on research and citations tomorrow for Roger Radcliff's music class. He does this project every year, but every year, I forget to save the changes I make to my standard research presentation that allow for the uniqueness of music," Belle said without looking up from her computer. "I just want to make sure this is done correctly and then save it so I'm prepared for tomorrow." Finally, she looked up at her son, who was laying on her leather loveseat, looking up at her. She chuckled to herself at the sight of her tall son in neatly pressed khakis, a blazer, and a tartan tie laying scrunched on such a small piece of furniture. "What are you doing this afternoon?"

"I think Audrey and I are going to hang out for a little while, probably do some homework or get ice cream. Why?"

"Do you think you could pick up a pizza for dinner on your way home? Your dad planned on working late tonight and packed his dinner this morning. And I just really don't want to cook. It's been a hectic day."

"Yeah, for sure. What kind of pizza do you want?"

Belle dug through her purse to grab her wallet and pull out two twenty dollar bills. "Oh, whatever. Just no peppers, please," she said as she handed him the bills. "Get a medium. Thanks, hon."

"Yes ma'am! I'll see you at home!" Ben said as he stuck the cash into his wallet and replaced it in his back pocket. Ben then gathered up his backpack and left his mother to finish her work.

Ben was waiting on a text from Audrey, letting him know that the homecoming committee meeting was done and they could go. He felt his phone vibrate as he left the library, so he pulled it out hopefully, only to be disappointed. Audrey had in fact texted him, but with a different message than he had hoped for. "Sorry Bennyboo, not everyone is as supportive of my ideas as you are, so I'll probz be another 15 minutes or so. Thanks for waiting!" Ben sighed loudly in the empty halls. School had been out for twenty minutes already, and the hallways were practically deserted. This meeting was only supposed to last about five minutes, and Ben was tired of waiting. He felt like he was doing a lot of that these days. He took a deep, cleansing breath, reminded himself how important homecoming was to his girlfriend, and decided to take advantage of the beautiful day and sit at his favorite table in the quad and get some reading done.

Of course, when Ben neared his favorite table in the quad, someone else was already there. Mal's back was to him, and she was hunched over the table, clearly working on something. He hesitated, unsure if she wanted to be alone. _Well, I'm here now. And she can always tell me to go away if she wants to_, he thought. He walked over to her and looked over her shoulder to see what she was doing. "Wow, that's beautiful! Where is it?" Mal jumped about a foot in the air. Ben had to stifle a chuckle when Mal glared at him. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't scare me," Mal said in an aggravated tone. She continued to glare at him for a moment, then her face softened. "I was just… startled, is all." Her tone was also gentler, and Ben thought that by some luck she might let him stay.

"So where is it? This place that has so captured your focus that you didn't hear me walk over, even though the door slammed behind me when I walked out." Ben was teasing just a little, hoping to get her to smile. She rolled her eyes at him, but he thought he detected a hint of a grin at the corner of her mouth.

"There's nothing wrong with having strong focus." Mal pulled a pack of cinnamon gum out of her backpack and offered him one. Ben accepted it, then she took another piece for herself and replaced the package.

"Are you avoiding my question?" Ben pressed, hoping to get her to share something with him. He did feel responsible for her being there, after all. He thought he should get to know this girl who he stood up for.

Mal looked a little confused, and (he couldn't help but think,) a little vulnerable. "I don't know. Nowhere, I guess. It's just a place I imagined."

"Well, it's beautiful, wherever it is." Ben smiled at her, and he saw her defences go back up. "So what are you still doing here? I would have thought you'd have caught the bus home by now. Or at least made it to the bus stop."

"Yeah, well, Evie and Carlos and I all try to ride home together. That way the bus ride isn't lonely. And Evie got roped into meeting the senior who's in charge of costumes for the play. And Carlos texted and said his math teacher wanted a word. I thought about heading home anyway, but in case Carlos's meeting is something unpleasant, I figured he should have someone waiting on him. We stick together, the four of us." Mal's eyes had a severe look, and that alone told him something he should have guessed already.

"You haven't had things easy. Any of you." It wasn't a question, but Mal answered it anyway.

"In Varin, some have it a lot worse. We found each other when we were still pretty young, which made life easier. When you have backup, you're always better off."

"Backup?" Ben couldn't fathom a life where his friends were his 'backup.'

"When you're alone, you're an easy target for bullies, physical and emotional. When you've got someone on your side, there's someone to help you up when you get hurt. And even the older kids know to leave you alone when you've got four in a group. That's about as big of a group as you can find at Dragon Hall. The only other large group I can think of is Uma's, and they've only got three: Uma, Harry, and Gil."

"Things are pretty bad there, huh?"

"I guess, but it's home. Or, you know, it was. Sort of still is. I don't know, this living situation is complicated at best."

Ben laughed a little at that. "That's putting it mildly. I can't imagine going to live in a different city with a stranger and my three best friends for a year. You passed complicated about three miles back."

Mal cracked a smile. "Well, we've survived so far. Two weeks down, the rest of the year to go. And really, if we can make it in a backwards place like Pixie Hollow, I'm pretty sure we can survive anywhere." Mal's smile and tone turned faintly teasing.

"Backwards? Pixie Hollow is quaint! Old-fashioned, perhaps. But such a nice town!" Ben protested with a smile equal to Mal's. "I mean, have you seen the gazebo?"

"I mean, have you checked for dead bodies under the gazebo recently?" Mal countered quickly.

Ben couldn't think of a witty response to that, so he just rolled his eyes. "Oh, whatever. You'll get used to it, and then you'll love it there!"

"Yeah, I doubt that. But what are you doing here so late anyway? Shouldn't you be prepping for your presidential campaign? I hear nominations are due on Friday." Mal closed her sketchbook and propped her chin on her hand. "I hear you're going to be president _again _this year."

Ben shrugged noncommittally. "Eh, I don't really care that much. I'm not super into student government, to be honest. I'd much prefer to focus my time and energy on the school paper. I mean, how great would it be to be the editor-in-chief of the Gazette? I mean, have you read the latest issue?"

"So, if you don't want to do it, then why do it?" Mal asked, surprisingly without a hint of mockery in her voice. "Oh wait. I bet I can guess." And there was the mockery. "_Someone _wants to be 'first lady' again, doesn't she?"

Ben felt heat rising into his cheeks at the insinuation. "It's true, Audrey has been pushing me to run for class president again. But she's not forcing me. I ran last year because I wanted to try, and it seemed like fun. It was fun. I'm glad I did it. And I did a good job. I mean, I'm not perfect, but I think I represented the interests of my classmates well. And ultimately, I made some changes that I'm proud of. Small changes, sure, but changes. We added recycling bins for plastic and glass around the building, and we started the ball rolling to implement a composting program here in the next couple years. We decided on where we would actually put the compost, discussed where we could put compostable garbage receptacles, you know. But we didn't finish. And that's been Audrey's main argument for why I should run again. To finish what I started, you know? And I think it's important to finish what you start. But also, I don't think they need me to do it. So I just haven't decided yet." He took a deep breath. "It's a big commitment. And means I can't write about anything at all related to student government for the paper. Which leaves me mostly not-so-interesting stories."

"Okay. I can respect that." Ben felt his defensiveness slip away at Mal's words. "So, what are you still doing here?" Ben felt his shoulders tense. He knew she would mock him for that.

"I'm waiting on Audrey. We're supposed to hang out after school, but her Homecoming Committee meeting ran long. Again."

"Is this a theme?" Ben was surprised to hear no derision in her tone, only curiosity.

"Well, as you've noticed, she can get pretty intense. So committees don't always like having her on them. She's not exactly a 'team-work' kind of girl. I mean, I really like her. And she's really good at what she does. But dating a girl who doesn't get along with her fellow committee members means that committee meetings run long. And other things, like spending time together, drop on the priority list." Ben shrugged. He didn't mean to talk bad about her, but he wanted to acknowledge his own feelings too.

"Man, that sucks." Ben noticed that Mal didn't try to advise him or condemn him for his feelings. She didn't even speak ill of Audrey. She just acknowledged the reality of the situation.

"Yeah."

Just then, Mal's phone buzzed. It vibrated loudly against the table, and both teenagers jumped. She grabbed it and smiled. "Carlos is done with his meeting. He said Mr. Griffin just wanted to suggest that he apply for some math camp over the summer. I guess that's a good thing? Anyway, he'll be here any minute."

Ben laughed. "It's definitely a good thing. It means that-" Ben was interrupted by a phone call. "Oh, sorry, I need to get this," he said, noting that it was Audrey.

He dragged the green 'answer' icon across the bottom of his screen and held his phone up to his ear as he walked a short distance from the picnic table to be respectful. "Hey Auds, what's up?"

"I'm at your car! Where are you? And I wish you wouldn't call me 'Auds!' I mean, what kind of nickname is that?" Audrey's voice practically screeched in his ear. It took everything Ben had not to get upset.

"I'm in the quad because you said it would be a while, but I'll head right over to you. And I didn't know you don't like when I call you 'Auds.' I've called you that for years. Like, since 8th grade I'm pretty sure."

"Well yeah, but calling a pal 'Auds' is one thing. But I'm your girlfriend! We've been dating for a year and a half! Shouldn't you give me a pet name by now?"

Ben sighed silently. When did just talking to Audrey become _this _exhausting? "I'm really sorry Audrey. I'll see you in a minute." Before she could keep talking, he hung up the phone and walked back to the table where Carlos had just arrived.

"Hey Carlos," Ben smiled as he picked up his backpack. "I hear congratulations are in order. Mr. Griffin thinks you should apply to GSP for Mathematics?" He shook Carlos's hand.

"Yeah, thanks dude. Who knew?" Carlos looked a little shy at this positive attention.

"Well, congrats, man. That's really great. But I've got a girlfriend waiting at my car, so I'll see you guys later." Ben clapped Carlos on the shoulder, waved at Mal, and walked away.

* * *

The following Saturday, Ben and Doug decided to hang out in Pixie Hollow for the day. They spent the morning in the local music shop and checking out the new releases at the bookstore. Then they brought coffee to Doug's dad at work in the jewelry shop. Then, they decided to go for lunch at Fred's.

"So Fred, how's it going?" Ben asked the proprietor casually.

"Oh, you know." Fred sighed. "Everything's fine. I've had a strange couple of weeks, but I think things are smoothing out." He smiled.

Doug's eyebrows knitted together. "Are you referring to your new houseguests?" he asked quietly.

Fred's eyes got wide for a moment. "Oh, they're great. Really. Good kids. Snow and I just don't quite know what to do with them. They're really secretive. Keep to themselves mostly. We worry a little is all. We never know where they are or what they're doing. And they're old enough to take care of themselves, which is great, but we're also here to take care of them, you know?"

"Well, they're not really used to having someone 'take care' of them very much. From what I gather, they've been taking care of themselves and each other since elementary school," Ben shared.

"I know. We knew when we agreed to this that we had no idea what their lives had been like before this, what they had been through. But we figured it was worth it anyway. And it is. I just wish they had someone else they trusted. Someone they knew who I was sure would steer them the right way." Fred gave the boys a look. "I don't suppose _you two _would be willing to try to befriend them? Show them how to rely on other people, particularly the adults in their lives?" Ben and Doug looked at each other wide-eyed. "You know what, never mind. That was a bad idea. Pretend I never said anything," Fred said with a shake of his head. "I'm sure they'll be fine. I don't know what I was thinking."

Ben turned from Doug to Fred. "No, it's not a bad idea. And really, we should try to befriend them anyway. At least, I know I haven't made all that much of an effort since the first day, and I feel pretty responsible for them being at AP."

Doug nodded. "Yeah, I told myself I would try to become friends with them, and other Evie, I really haven't bothered." His face colored as he mentioned Fred's niece, but his voice never faltered.

Fred didn't seem to notice Doug's discomfort. "Oh, guys, that's so great. Thanks so much! You have no idea how much this means to me. And to Snow too. Seriously. Thanks! I've gotta go take orders, but I'll bring you your lunch in just a minute. And it's on the house!"

Ben elbowed his pal when Fred had left. "Evie, huh?"

"She's out with Chad today, so it's pretty much a moot point," Doug grumbled.

"Sorry man."

"Let's not talk about it." Doug cut his eyes over to Ben. "So do you think we have any real chance of befriending the Varin kids? Honestly?"

"Well, we promised we'd try. What do you say to a movie night next week? I'll host. We can invite Audrey, Chad, Lonnie, Jordan, Mike, Dean."

"I don't know if that's really the way to go about it. Why don't we start by finding things they like to do, and using that to get to know them."

"You make a good point, Doug. Maybe I ask for their help for my class president campaign. Since I did submit my application to Ms. Bell yesterday. Ask for Mal's help making posters, Carlos could do my website… I don't know about Evie or Jay though."

"Well, I've got a lot of classes with Jay, and a couple with Evie too. I think Jay's really into video games, so I could bond with him over that. And Evie," Doug sighed dejectedly. "I'll just keep doing what I'm doing with her. Maybe she'll notice me eventually."

"Just don't be pushy, man. Because that's not okay."

"Obviously."


	7. The Con is On

"Have you noticed that Ben and Doug have been trying to hang out with us a lot?" Mal asked Evie one October afternoon on the bus back to Pixie Hollow.

Evie was distracted by the notebook in her lap and didn't register Mal's question right away. After a moment, she looked up. "Sorry, what about Ben and Doug?"

"Do you think they've been trying to spend a lot of time with us lately? Or is it just my imagination?"

"Well, not to be vain, but I'm pretty sure Doug has a crush on me. Maybe Ben is just trying to wingman for him?"

"Yeah, except that doesn't explain why _both_ of them have been asking me, Jay, and Carlos to hang out too."

"Yeah, but who cares? It gets you closer to your objective, right? I mean, Ben getting to know you will probably help the whole get-him-to-date-you thing that you're after."

"I guess, but it still seems strange. I mean, Ben had me do campaign posters for him. And then he got Carlos to build him a website. And I know for a fact that he and Doug invited Jay and Carlos to some guy night they had a couple weeks ago. I mean, I've been trying to hang out with Ben some too, just, you know, to get to know him a little, but this is a lot."

"Yeah, you're right. But I don't know what you think we should do about it. If it's ultimately what we want."

"I know. It just feels strange to me."

"What, for other people to be interested in you as a human being? Yeah, so weird!" Evie teased.

Just then, the bus arrived at their stop in Pixie Hollow. Mal gently shoved her roommate as they stood up. "Whatever. I think something strange is going on. And I mean to use it for my advantage."

* * *

The next day, Mal was waiting for Carlos after school. He and Jane were working on the school's website, and he had promised that it wouldn't take more than 20 minutes. Mal rolled her eyes at Carlos's text. _No one loses track of time like Carlos, _she thought wryly. She mentally debated whether to wait him out in the library or the courtyard, but ultimately decided on the courtyard. Even though it was getting a bit cooler outside, Mal loved the way the leaves were changing colors and the sky got darker a bit earlier. And she could handle the cold, thanks to the leather jacket and scarf Evie had made for her. (Fred and Snow were super cool to buy her so much fabric to use. Just like they paid all of Jay's fees for football and for Carlos's stronger wifi and Mal's art supplies.)

So Mal made her way to the courtyard to work on a drawing of the school she was in the middle of. But when she got to the courtyard, she saw two people she would have rather avoided: Ben and Audrey. And by the looks of it, they were fighting. Their voices weren't raised or anything, but Ben's face looked upset and his hands were clenched into fists. And Audrey was gesturing wildly with her hands, and then she stomped her foot. Mal was considering whether she should carry on with her plan or just turn around and walk away, but before she could decide, Ben saw her.

An unreadable look crossed his face, and Mal felt her own face warm in her embarrassment of being seen. She shrugged at him, he shook his head at her nearly imperceptibly, and she turned away. Mal decided to head for the library to work, since hopefully no one would be arguing there. At least if they were, they should be quiet.

Before she made it out of the hallway, she heard the door open and then slam. Mal cringed and turned around. There was Audrey, eyes blazing, stomping toward her.

"Ugh, what are you still doing here?" she cried, her heels clacking loudly against the tile. "You know what, it doesn't even matter. I have better things to do than waste my time on you." Then Audrey turned on her heel and flounced angrily down the hallway in the opposite direction.

Mal paused for a moment, waiting to see if Ben would follow suit. When he didn't come out, Mal decided she might as well go outside and see if he was there or if he wanted someone to talk to. _After all, I need him to want to date me. We should probably be friends first. It's not like I can just give him a love potion and have him magically ask me out, _she mused as she walked toward the door.

When she stepped up to the glass door, she looked to see if Ben was still there. He was just standing there, staring out into space. Mal knocked on the glass to get his attention. He started and looked over to her. Mal gestured vaguely to him, trying to ask if she could come out. He gave her a joyless smile and nodded, so Mal opened the door.

"You okay over there Mr. President?" Mal asked in a teasing but gentle tone. "That looked a little… intense. And Audrey seemed pissed. Too pissed even to insult me." Her tone had become more serious after her initial question.

Ben sighed. "Yeah. She's upset. But I don't really want to talk about it."

"That's cool. I won't pry. I'm not super interested in lover's quarrels anyway. But," she continued, trying to distract him from their disagreement, "if you're up for it, you can look over my final designs for your 'Presidential Seal.'" Although the Student Government elections had taken place over a month ago, (Ben had won sophomore class president, obviously), they hadn't been sworn in yet because the Student Government advisor had had her baby early and was now on maternity leave. They had to wait until another teacher was prepped to fill the role that Mrs. Sultana was supposed to play in the ceremony. It was a rather large affair, and the whole student body got to miss the second half of their last class of the day for it.

This year, Audrey had insisted that Ben make his own unique crest that he could use to mark all of _his _contributions to the student council. Ben had inwardly scoffed at the idea but agreed to appease his girlfriend. (He did think that he wouldn't actually have to _use _it so long as he made it. Audrey would never know.) But Ben, with his non-existent artistic abilities, instead asked Mal to come up with something. (Ben had figured that it would give him more reason to interact with/befriend her.)

Mal had never tried to make something like this, and was intrigued at the possibility. Of course, she mocked Ben for it first, but had him sit down and tell her about himself and his family. She learned about how wacky his grandfather's inventions were, but also how completely brilliant he was. When he was a little boy, before he had passed away, his grandpa had built him this little robot that was supposed to be able to make the perfect cup of tea. It had never worked, but had taught Ben to try new things and enjoy a good cup of oolong. Mal learned how much Ben respected his dad, an attorney at a corporate firm who made a point to take at least one pro bono case per month, but often took more. His father Adam believed deeply in justice for all, even if they couldn't afford it. Ben told her about how he was just like his mom in some ways: idealistic, in love with books and knowledge, with pretty good instincts about people. Mal was inspired by Ben's obvious enjoyment of his family, and used that to inspire her "Ben Villeneuve Crest" design, as she was calling it in her head.

"Yeah, I'd love to see it," Ben said eagerly, seemingly glad to move away from the topic of the argument he and Audrey had just shared. "Should we-?" Ben gestured toward his favorite table under the trees.

"Great." Mal moved toward the table, already slinging her backpack off her shoulders so she could get to its contents. She pulled a thin manilla file folder from her bag and opened it, revealing the first of three designs. "So, this was my first try, and I think it's decent. I did some research on family crests and tried to use symbols whose meanings would be important to you. It's in the shape of like a medieval crest and it has three sections: a scalloped shell, which means successful commander, which I know you desire to be; a beacon, for watchfulness, because you are always observing; and an oak leaf, which symbolizes something long-standing as well as strength, because I know you want to have an impact that lasts beyond your time here at AP."

"Wow, Mal. Truly, your talent is incredible," Ben complimented her as he looked at the detail of the first crest.

Mal blushed, glad that he was so focused on the drawing that he wasn't looking at her. "Well, check out the second one. I think it's my favorite. It's in the shape of a circle, like a signet ring might be. For this one, I decided to use symbols that could derive meaning from your own history. So this one has four sections: a teacup to honor your grandfather, a book for your mom, an old-fashioned scale to represent justice for your dad, and a bear wearing a crown, which I actually did choose because of typical meaning in family crests. The bear means ferocity and family protection, which felt appropriate for you."

Ben, who was now holding the second crest option, glanced over at Mal. "And the crown?" he asked.

Mal gave him a cocky smile with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't it obvious, your Highness?" she teased.

"It's Mr. President, actually," Ben joked back. "Gosh, don't you pay any attention?"

Mal laughed and rolled her eyes. "Excuse me, _Mr. President,_" she emphasized. "The crown stands for authority and nobility."

Ben smiled and turned back to the drawing without comment. "I can see why you like this one better. I mean, the first one is fantastic, but this one feels very personal."

"Well, the third one is personal too. Take a look." Mal handed him the third drawing and then began to talk. "It's back to the medieval crest shape, and it has a pen because you write for the paper, a guitar because of how much you geek out over music, and a heart," Mal's voice shifted to a girlie, airy tone that was quite unlike her, "because you're a man in love."

Ben grimaced at her at that last comment. "Didn't we agree _not _to talk about Audrey?"

"Oh, shoot. I'm sorry," Mal gasped, drawing her hand to cover her mouth. "I totally forgot. I just couldn't think of anything else I know about you, so I used the heart as your third symbol. I was even going to put your initials on it for you, you know, A+B, but that felt too disgustingly sickening, so I just left the heart and decided I would tease you a little instead to draw attention away from how I couldn't think of anything else for the last symbol for your crest."

Ben laughed at Mal, and her face went from apologetic to annoyed. "Okay. Laugh all you want. Just know that I could _totally _take back all of my drawings and you would be stuck trying to appease Audrey with stick figures and lopsided flowers."

Ben's laughter slowed. "It would probably be worth it, but since you've done all this work, I can't let it go to waste."

Mal rolled her eyes at him, something she did quite often, but she found she couldn't stop herself. "Well, which do you like best?"

Ben paused for a moment, looking carefully at all three. "I love the old meanings of the symbols on the first design, but how deeply personal the second one is? I think that's the winner."

"Great! I'll clean it up and have the final version for you sometime in the next day or two."

"Cool. And thank you again for doing this. I know it's a strange request."

"Yeah, but it's cool to have the opportunity to stretch my abilities. I mean, I wanted to create something both aesthetically pleasing and also meaningful, which can be tricky. And really, this is a pretty small canvas, so it requires a lot more skill. It's been a surprisingly fun project." Mal smiled and wrinkled her nose. "Who would have thought?"

Ben didn't even bother responding. "So, what are you still doing here? I would have guessed you would be headed home by now. You hate staying late after school."

"Yeah, but Carlos and I are supposed to catch the bus together since Evie is doing something with Chad after school today." Mal's eyebrows furrowed at the mention of Chad's name. "But Jane had some sort of AV crisis that she asked for Carlos's help with, so I'm waiting. They're supposed to be done soon, I think, but sometimes they say that it's a quick fix and it takes them over an hour."

"Gotcha. Well, I'm waiting on my mom, and she's got a lot to do this afternoon, so I was going to set up in the library with a movie. Or, more likely, a couple episodes of a tv show. Wanna come?"

Mal hesitated as she zipped her backpack. She looked at Ben, his eyes sparkling with mirth, so unlike how she had first seen him this afternoon. _I'm trying to befriend this guy, which totally validates this, right? _"Sure! But we better not watch something stupid."

* * *

In the end, they decided to watch a couple episodes of _The Office _after arguing about whether _Castle _or _Psych_ was a better crime show. (Ben liked the idea of a murder mystery writer helping to solve crimes, while Mal preferred the light-hearted antics of a fake psychic.) They set up Ben's laptop at a table in the common area and dimmed the lights a bit since they were the only ones there except for Belle. Mal slipped off her shoes and sat cross-legged in her chair while Ben propped his feet up on the chair across from him.

With about four minutes left of the season 2 Christmas episode, Carlos texted Mal: "Finally done, heading out now. Meet out front?" Mal groaned. "No! This is the best moment!"

Ben laughed at her dramatic outburst as he paused the episode. "Carlos can probably wait five minutes. Also, who knew you were such a fan of the Jam love story?"

Mal made a face at him as she put her feet on the floor and started pulling her shoes back on. "The next bus is in ten, and if we want to make it to the bus stop in time, we do need to leave now."

"Ah, I see. Well, next time, I'll just drive you guys home. I would offer today, but my dad's car is being worked on, so he took mine and I rode with mom."

"Hence the afterschool showing of _The Office,_" Mal finished for him. "Thanks, but Pixie Hollow's out of your way. We're fine on the bus. Also, just for the record, they're PB&J. Pam Beesley and Jim. None of this 'Jam' ridiculousness." She gathered up her belongings and headed to the exit. "See you around, Ben!"

* * *

Over the course of the next few weeks, Mal found herself spending a lot of time with Ben. He did drive her and Carlos back to Pixie Hollow the next time they got hung up after school, even though she protested. Then one Saturday he and Doug came by the White's house in the morning and invited Mal and her friends to go see the newest Disney live-action remake at the local movie theater. They even started texting each other whenever they saw or did something that reminded them of the other.

Mal was enjoying getting to know this guy, and (although she knew she couldn't admit it because of what she had to do) was maybe developing the tiniest hint of a crush. So, she definitely felt a pang of something unpleasant whenever she saw him with Audrey. Or whenever she was struck with how hurt he would be if her plan succeeded.

Yet another afternoon that Evie was with Chad and Carlos was busy helping Jane, Mal went looking for Ben. This particular day, though, she ran into Doug. "Hey Doug. You haven't seen Ben by any chance, have you?"

"Oh, hi Mal. Um, I think he's with Audrey in the courtyard. They were supposed to hang out this afternoon, but he said something came up."

"Oh," Mal felt the guilt sink in her stomach like a rock. "That might be my fault. Carlos is sticking around here this afternoon, and I asked Ben if he was free to hang out with me while I wait. He didn't have to cancel his plans for me."

Doug smiled. "I'm sure it's fine. I'm headed to the library to hang out for a bit before band practice. Wanna come? I was going to work on that research paper for AP World."

"Sure, why not," Mal shrugged. "I should probably get started on that too."

The pair began walking toward the library. But before they could turn down the right hallway, Mal heard Audrey's voice screeching loudly. "You never have time for me anymore!" Mal's eyes got wide and she looked at Doug questioningly. Doug just stopped, so Mal followed suit, waiting to hear what would come next.

"Audrey, I'm not trying to flake on you, but I told you. I feel responsible for them. After all, I was the one to point out their applications on the ASB last year. And Fred asked me to look out for them a bit. Besides, when you get to know them, the Varin kids are pretty cool! You should totally hang out with us!" Mal felt a bit like she had been punched in the gut when Ben mentioned Fred, but stayed still, listening.

"Wait, what? They're from Varin? How did kids from that dump end up here?" Mal stiffened and her hands clenched at her side.

"Audrey, where you're from says nothing about your character or your intelligence. And right now, you're making a huge scene."

"You spend _way _too much time with them! You need to choose, those _Varin kids," _she said in a scornful tone, "or _me._"

Ben sighed. "If you're going to make me choose between befriending new students, who are totally awesome by the way, and our relationship, which has been more headaches than smiles lately, then I'm choosing them. Mal, Carlos, Jay, and Evie are awesome. And they _don't _make me choose."

Audrey screeched again. "Ugh! Well fine then! I guess you'll have to find a new date to homecoming!"

Mal heard Audrey's high heels clicking down the hall, getting farther and farther away. Slowly, Mal and Doug stepped around the corner to see Ben. He looked up when he heard their shoes squeak against the tile floor, and he smiled grimly at them.

"I don't suppose there's any chance you guys missed that display?" Mal shook her head. "Sorry about the noise."

Doug exhaled quickly through his nose. "Sorry about Audrey, dude. That was pretty rough."

Mal nodded. "Yeah, Ben. I feel sort of responsible. Although, you didn't have to promise Fred anything. We're fine."

Ben nodded. "I know. But to be totally honest, it was kind of an excuse. I really do like you guys. Especially you, Mal. I have a lot of fun with you. Things have been kind of messy with Audrey for a while."

Doug cleared his throat. "Um, I'm gonna head inside. I have a paper to work on," he mumbled nervously before stepping between Ben and Mal to get to the library door. Ben laughed.

"I just broke up with someone, so obviously this moment isn't ideal, but Mal, I don't suppose you might be willing to go on a date with me? And, if it goes well, be my date for homecoming next month?"

Mal's thoughts were running wild. _He just broke up with her! But he definitely likes you. You've suspected for weeks. But I want him to be sure. You know, that he really likes me, and wasn't just using me as an escape. But does it really matter? Since by May you'll have played your con and split?_ That thought chilled Mal, but she ignored it for the moment and followed her gut. She smiled. "Yeah, I think that sounds good. Although, maybe give it a couple days before we go on a date?" _OK Mallory. Here is your mark. Your con is __**on.**_


	8. Trouble in Paradise

**A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to write and upload this chapter! My sister got married and my life has been a little consumed with that lately. I'm also sorry this chapter is so short. I almost made it longer, but decided I would rather go ahead and upload than spend the time fretting about adding what I want to add. So that'll just be the next chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Evie was rifling through her purse to find her compact mirror. She was fairly certain she had smudged her mascara, and she refused to let a little thing like a physics test prevent her from addressing it. Suddenly, she heard her name.

"Ms. Grimhilde. Are you looking for something?" Evie looked up to see Mr. Delay holding out a graphing calculator with Evie's name bedazzled on the cover. He shook his hand so that the rhinestones caught the light.

"Oh…" Evie sighed quietly.

"As I'm sure you recall Ms. Grimhilde, use of graphing calculators is prohibited on tests in my class."

"Yeah, but-" Evie began, but her teacher cut her off.

"I can see that not everyone in this class respects the strict honor code we have here at Auradon Prep. But at least some people do. Thank you, Chad, for bringing this to my attention."

Evie looked at Chad, seething. Chad smirked at her arrogantly. Evie felt hurt and betrayed; she thought Chad was interested in her.

"Well, as you have clearly ignored the honor code, you automatically fail the test and will be brought before the Student Honor Court to determine whether you will be permitted to remain here."

Evie felt a sinking in her stomach. She wanted to fight back, but she couldn't-not if she was going to find a guy to fall in love with her and help her get out of the slum where she grew up. Her mother always told her, "A man wants a woman who looks flawless and keeps her home flawless too. And he _never _wants a woman smarter than he is!" Evie couldn't risk Chad or anyone else thinking she was too smart.

She began to nod her head, but a voice behind her surprised her, and she immediately stopped and turned around.

"But Mr. Delay, she hasn't even started the test yet. And she didn't have it with her when she got the test, since you've clearly had it. Doesn't that mean that she couldn't be cheating?" Doug's voice was firm and persuasive as he defended Evie. She had never felt more grateful to anyone in her life.

"Well…" the teacher began slowly.

"Let her take the test. If she fails, then she fails. If she passes, then you know she did it without the help of her calculator," Doug argued, and Evie could see Mr. Delay's resolve crumble.

"Well, I suppose that would be acceptable. This is your only chance, Ms. Grimhilde. And you can thank Mr. Dweorg for it. Now don't mess it up."

Evie nodded, then turned to Doug with a panicked look in her wide eyes. "You've got this!" Doug mouthed to her, then he smiled and gave her a thumbs up before turning back to his own test. Evie nodded again, this time to herself, pulled out a pencil, and flipped open her test. She had forgotten all about her smeared mascara.

* * *

At the end of class, Evie turned in her test, still feeling a bit shaken by the events at the beginning of the period. And still, she felt confident that she passed at the very least. She smiled sweetly at Mr. Delay as she submitted her test and asked in a saccharine tone, "If I passed the test, can I have my calculator back?"

Mr. Delay nodded. "Of course, Ms. Grimhilde. And I will have the tests graded by tomorrow. I suppose your fate will be sealed then."

"I guess it will. Thanks Mr. Delay, see you tomorrow," Evie said, breezing by him and out the door. As she stepped into the hallway, however, she was immediately accosted by two of her classmates, girls she barely knew.

"Oh my gosh, you're from Varin? You and those other kids you hang out with?" a girl with short brown hair asked in an accusatory tone. It was funny, she seemed familiar, (Maybe Doug had introduced this girl to Evie earlier in the year?) and her face, though currently grimacing, looked like it was normally very kind and gentle.

"Uh, yeah," Evie said dismissively and tried to push past the girl. But when she did, Chad stepped into her way. "You." Evie practically spat the word at him.

"At least I didn't lie about where I come from," Chad said tauntingly. "I would _never _go out with a girl from a slum! No wonder you lied about where you live!"

"I didn't _lie! _I live in Pixie Hollow now. My-well, I guess you'd say she's my step-sister. She and her husband took us in when we got accepted here."

"Well you should just go back where you came from, _Varin Kid,_" Chad hissed at her as she forced her way past him, tears in her eyes.

Doug came up beside her. "I'm so sorry Evie! I didn't realize that people didn't know. And I _definitely _didn't think that they would care!"

Evie tried to brush him off, but Doug wouldn't leave. He kept talking in a low tone, trying to comfort her, but Evie was too hurt to even listen. She just kept pushing quickly through the crowd until she got to the library; it was worth it to be late to class if she could hide in the stacks to cry for five minutes and then fix her makeup and shoot Mal a text.

When she finally made it into the library, she was surprised to see that Doug was still there with her. She was surprised when he held out a handkerchief to her with the initials DPD embroidered on it in grass green thread. "Who carries a handkerchief these days?" Evie said with a watery grin as she accepted the proffered item.

Doug smiled bashfully. "My parents are pretty old school, especially my mom. Wants me to be a perfect gentleman. You know, hold the door, walk you home, offer a handkerchief when you need it. And she really loves embroidery, so I have tons of them. I actually get a fair amount of use out of them. It seems there's always someone or another crying in the band. Band kids are _SO _dramatic _and _sensitive." Doug smiled fondly. "Of course, I'm one of them, so…"

"Well, thank you," Evie said, drying her eyes. "For the handkerchief and also for standing up for me to Delay. I didn't even know what to say."

"Hey, I get it. I definitely would have frozen. I'm glad I was there to help."

"I seriously appreciate it. And, uh, I'll wash this and return it to you tomorrow?" Evie held up the square of white fabric.

"If you want. But I also can just stick it in my bag and wash it myself," Doug smiled. "Like I said, I happen to get a lot of use out of my handkerchiefs. I'm used to it."

"No, the least I can do is wash it for you. You'll have it back tomorrow. Friday at the latest," Evie smiled. "Um, I'm gonna take a couple minutes to myself now. Maybe text Mal and see if she'll be willing to ditch class and meet me here."

"I don't think you'll need to send a text for that," Doug commented, and then he gestured for Evie to turn around. "It looks like Mal, Jay, and Carlos are already here."

* * *

Doug felt a little off about it, but wanted to make sure Evie was okay. And using that as his rationale, he snuck around to the other side of the shelf that the foursome was hiding behind to listen in. Just a little bit.

"So E, what happened?" Doug heard Mal ask, concern clear in her voice.

"Oh, nothing." Evie sniffled, and Doug was glad Evie had held onto the handkerchief. "I was ambushed by some girls and Chad who apparently only just now discovered that we're from Varin. It was pretty ugly, but nothing I couldn't handle myself. Besides, Doug was there."

"We've all had people attack. I didn't even really realize that people didn't know," Carlos said.

"Yeah, uh, that might be my fault, indirectly, anyway," Mal said apologetically. "Yesterday, Ben and Audrey got into this huge fight, and he told her he would choose the new students from Varin over her if she was going to make him choose. It was gruesome. And she flipped when she found out. I guess she told everyone."

"Does this affect the plan?" Jay asked, and there was a long pause.

"It can't. I don't exactly have a lot of space for adjustment, you know," Mal responded quickly.

"Just checking. Well, I need to get to class. If Jenkins hears I skipped English, he'll bench me at the game this week." Jay's deep voice moved further away as he spoke. "I'll catch you guys later. Evie, you're good, right?" Doug didn't hear a response, but Jay's footsteps were audible enough after a moment, and then Jay appeared at the end of the shelf. He didn't look back, but kept moving toward the door.

"Yeah, Jane isn't responding to my texts, so I should probably go see if she's in AP World. We're supposed to work on the update for the school's server this afternoon. I'll see you guys later. Evie, if you need anything just text me."

After a moment, Carlos too walked away from their hiding place and to the exit of the library. Doug knew it was only Mal and Evie left, and felt a bit guiltier for listening in. But, he reasoned, he had planned on being in the library anyway, because he wanted to finish his research paper for AP World. If he happened to be camped out in the world religions section of the library to work on it, oh well. And the girls really weren't talking, at least not loudly enough for Doug to hear. So he really did pull out his computer and get to work on his essay.

Doug had been sitting on the floor among the stacks for probably half of the period when he heard Evie shriek, albeit quietly. He startled, and turned his attention to the noise, in the hopes of discovering what had upset her.

"He's with _Audrey _now? What the heck? Last week he was _definitely _hinting at asking me to Homecoming, and now he's taking _her!_"

"Oh, E. I'm sorry. I know you were counting on having a date to the dance."

"I started on my dress and everything."

"Well you know what, I feel sorry for Chad. He missed out on an amazing woman. You are so smart! And so talented! Also, maybe the best cook and cleaner I know. Which is saying something since we live with Snow White. Audrey has got _nothing _on you!"

"Thanks M." Doug heard fabric rustling, and he assumed that the girls were hugging.

"Okay, we are not going to wallow here. The school day is almost over, and I say we go to the movies this afternoon. That way, we'll still be in town when Jay and Carlos finish up, and we can all ride the bus back to Pixie Hollow together." Mal's voice sounded confident and strong, but Doug felt sure it was hiding her concern for Evie.

"That sounds perfect, I'll just text… oh. I guess Carlos will be joining us. Did you see his message? Jane has been glaring at him all class. I guess she's not too thrilled with him either." Doug wasn't surprised, considering that Jane had cornered Evie earlier. He guessed that she hadn't made that connection yet. "Well, we can meet him at his locker when the bell rings. Let's go," Evie finished, and Doug could hear her packing up her things. "Ugh, I'm so annoyed that my calculator got taken. I had a design for the back I was hoping to do."

"I'm not gonna ask why it got taken, and I'm just gonna jump straight to what I actually want to know. You don't need that thing. You never use it. Why do you carry it around?"

"I don't know. It's my mom, I think. She's in my head, same as yours is. She always told me that I would never get a guy if people thought I was smart."

Mal scoffed as a zipper was pulled. "That's insane. I mean, Evie, what guy _doesn't _like smart girls? This isn't the 1800's. Don't pretend to be something you're not. Any guy would be _incredibly _lucky to go out with you." Mal sighed. "I know it's easy to hear and hard to believe. But trust me. If he doesn't like how smart you are, he's not the one. Now let's head over to Carlos's locker to meet him. Maybe we can cheer him up with some ice cream at Mad Dog's Creamery on the way to the movie. You know it's his favorite."

"That would be amazing! I'm always down for Mad Dog's." The girls suddenly appeared at the end of the aisle, and Doug hid behind his computer. Luckily, they didn't turn around, so he remained unnoticed.

When he was alone, Doug found himself lost in thought about the present situation. _Jane isn't the type to care where a person is from, _he thought to himself. _I bet Audrey got to her. Audrey has always been good at manipulating people to share her perspective. I wonder how much of the student body she's convinced. _


	9. First Date

Ben drove into Pixie Hollow to pick Mal up for their first date. At the only stoplight in town, he turned around to check the back seat and ensure that he had everything he had planned on bringing. Indeed, he did have everything he needed, safely packed into two backpacks: in the first, an old picnic blanket borrowed from his mom and a smallish cooler with some strawberries (Evie told him they were Mal's favorites) and a couple sodas and bottled waters; in the other, a bag of chocolate chip cookies he had whipped up the night before and an insulated bag that he would tuck the rest of their lunch into when he got to Fred's. When the light turned green, Ben took the left and parked his car on the street. He hopped out and ran into Fred's.

When he walked in the room, there was a take-out bag sitting on the counter with Ben's name written on it. Fred looked up from his position behind the counter and waved. "Hey Ben! Your food's right there! Gimme a sec and I'll come ring ya up." Fred refilled the coffee cup of the customer in front of him and then replaced it on the machine and moved toward the register. "So, you excited? First date with Mal."

Ben felt his eyebrows furrow and his cheeks redden just a bit. "Did Doug tell you?" he asked, thinking that much as he loved his best friend, he would have preferred not to have this conversation right now.

Fred smirked. "Now don't get upset with him. Those girls have been up to something all week, and I was trying to figure it out. So, you know, I pestered it out of him. Since I know pushing works well on him, and probably wouldn't work so well on those two."

Ben laughed. "Fair. I suspect if you tried pushing with Mal and Evie, or even Jay and Carlos, they would push back. Whereas Doug is a push-_over_."

Fred laughed along with him. "Exactly. Your total is $15 even."

"Uh, shouldn't it be more than that?" Ben asked, pulling a ten and a twenty out of his wallet.

Fred smiled and shook his head. "Nope, we're having a special today for first dates. And no tipping is permitted."

Ben's face warmed again, but smiled gratefully. "Fred, you are the best. Thanks so much. But you can't keep me from tipping," he added as he handed over his twenty dollar bill. When Fred handed him back a five, Ben stuffed it into the tip jar and gathered up his food. "Thanks for everything! As always, you are the best!" And with that, Ben turned and made his way back to his car.

After carefully placing the hot food inside the insulated bag and then carefully tucking that bag into the second backpack, Ben hopped back into the driver's seat to head over to the White's house across town. But he couldn't bring himself to start his car for a moment. He was really nervous. Mal was nothing like any other girl he had ever dated. Even though he thought she actually enjoyed his company, he wasn't sure that she actually liked him enough to want to date him. After all, going on "a date" is a _lot _different than "dating." But, as Evie had reassured him over text, Mal was really excited about their date. He took a deep breath. Even if this whole thing was a disaster, at least he'd get some time in the great outdoors and have a great meal from Fred. He smiled. _It'll be great,_ he told himself as he turned his car on and put it into drive.

* * *

When he parked in front of the White's house, he felt his nerves rising again. He took a deep breath and smiled, then hopped out to go knock.

Evie opened the door almost immediately. "President Charming's here, M! Come on!" she called over her shoulder before she even looked at Ben. "Hey Ben, Mal will be down in just a sec." She smiled at him and flicked her long black hair over her shoulder. "Wanna come in?"

Ben smiled. "Sure, thanks Evie. How are you?" he asked as he followed her into the foyer.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just been helping Mal get ready for your date. Fixing her makeup, helping her choose her outfit, ducking when she throws things at me. You know, the usual." Evie and Ben chuckled together at that one as Evie led Ben into what appeared to be the living room and gestured to him to sit down on the couch. She herself took a seat in an adjacent armchair.

"I can't imagine that was easy. She's not one for dressing up much, huh?"

"She hasn't had much reason to until now. I've always embraced the whole 'dress the way you want to feel,' philosophy, while Mal has… well… a different perspective." Evie grinned.

The pair fell into silence, and for a moment, Ben felt compelled to try to fill it. But before he could think of something to say, Mal walked in the room. Ben couldn't help but stare at her. She was dressed in a purple sundress that hit just above her knees. She also wore a black leather jacket with a silky green scarf and heeled black ankle boots. Her curly violet hair, normally pulled back in a side braid or a ponytail while at school, hung down her shoulders.

"Hi Ben, you ready to go?" Mal asked with a smile.

Ben just looked at her for a moment, then he grinned. "Wow. For the first time I understand the difference between pretty and beautiful."

Mal laughed quickly and rolled her eyes, although Ben thought it felt like an affectionate eye roll. He also thought he heard Evie quickly stifle a laugh, but he didn't care.

Ben held out his hand to her. "Let's go." Mal took it and led him to the door. She opened it and ushered him through first, then turned around to look through to Evie one last time. Ben didn't know what she was conveying to her friend, but he hoped it wasn't anything bad. Evie just winked and waved.

"See you two later!" she called as the door closed behind them.

Ben led Mal to his car, a silver four-door sedan. With their hands still entwined together, he walked her to the passenger's side and opened her door for her. "My lady," he said with a bow and a flourish, hoping to make her laugh. He succeeded.

"Has anyone ever told you that you're a total dork?" Mal questioned through her laughter as she took her seat. Ben closed her door and walked around the car to get into the driver's seat before answering.

"Only one. A fiesty, purple-haired artist from Varin." He started the car with a smirk, noting that Mal had opted not to respond to his teasing.

Instead, she decided to question him. "So where are we going?" Mal asked as Ben pulled forward and toward the edge of town.

"You'll find out when we get there," Ben said with a grin, and chanced a glance over to Mal. She was looking at him questioningly, with one eyebrow lifted.

"What are we doing?" she pressed.

"Well, for starters, I suspect we will both be converting oxygen to carbon dioxide continuously for the duration of our time together, and I suspect there will also be the usual contractions of the myocardium, not to mention-"

"Okay, Ben. I get it, you're smart," Mal interrupted. "Could you maybe tell me what we'll be doing that is _specific _to our time together? As opposed to the necessary bodily functions that keep us alive that technically will also be happening?"

Ben laughed. "You have to admit, that was pretty good. And technically, not a lie."

Ben gave her another glance, and Mal was pouting, but he suspected it was all good-natured. And sure enough, when she saw him looking, she exaggerated her pout for only a moment before smiling.

"Fine. I guess it was okay. Clever, for sure. But I take it to mean you won't be telling me what we're doing until we get there."

"Nope! But, I would love to hear about you," Ben said with a smile. "I know we've been friends for a while now, but still, I don't know that much about you."

"Whaddya want to know?" Mal asked, making an inquisitive face.

"Tell me something about yourself that you've never told anyone." As he spoke, he slowed the car and turned down an old dirt road just outside of town, before stopping the car in front of an old burned-down cabin.

"I'm sorry, are you going to murder me in the woods?" Mal asked teasingly as she looked out the window.

"Trust me. And I'm still waiting for your answer," Ben said as he hopped out of the car and raced around to the other side to open Mal's door for her.

She rolled her eyes at him again. "You know it's not time-effective to make me wait so you can open my door?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Okay, now you're just dodging the question. And yes I know. It doesn't change the fact that it's totally old-school romantic, and you know me well enough to know that it's who I am. Clearly. Otherwise you wouldn't have waited on me." Ben smirked. "But since you're dodging the question, I can only assume you have something to hide," he teased. An expression he couldn't quite read crossed Mal's face. Before he could get a second look at it, she smirked again.

"Fine. Uhhm… let's see... My middle name? Bertha."

"Bertha, huh?" Ben opened the door to the back seat to grab the backpacks. He slung one onto his back and held the other in his right hand. "Follow me." He moved toward the woods to the right of the cabin's remains, and suddenly, a dirt path emerged.

He could hear her following as he stepped onto the path, and was glad when she didn't complain. He knew he shouldn't, but Ben couldn't help thinking that Audrey would have totally flipped out on him by now, and insisted they find a civilized restaurant or coffee shop for their date. _But Mal's not like Audrey, _he reminded himself.

"Bertha was just my mom being difficult. She never wanted kids, and I guess my dad always wanted to name his daughter Mallory, but wanted Mom to pick my middle name. So, to be spiteful, she went with Bertha." Mal laughed. "Mallory Bertha Faison. Definitely not what I would have chosen for myself."

"I like 'Mal.' It suits you better than 'Mallory' for sure," Ben said as he led her down a small hill. There, the path split in two, and Ben headed decisively to the right. "It's a short walk, I promise." After a pause, Ben decided to share in kind. "My middle name is Florian."

"Florian?" Mal snorted.

"At least it's not Bertha," Ben retorted with a chuckle.

"Ben Florian Villeneuve. I like it. Very princely." Since Ben was in front of Mal, he couldn't see her face, but he imagined that she was giving him her signature smirk.

"Benjamin, actually." Mal snorted again, but before she could respond, Ben stopped and stepped to the side to reveal to Mal where they were going. She gasped in surprise, and Ben looked at her face. "We're here."

* * *

Ben had taken Mal to a particular spot by a stream. The water was clear and blue, and the stream was full, as there had been a heavy rainstorm a couple days previous. Years ago, Ben and Doug had discovered this spot when exploring the outskirts of Pixie Hollow. There was an old but solid dock there, as well as the remains of the cabin. His dad had looked into it, and discovered that the property was now owned by a local shopkeeper, an elderly woman named Fran who didn't get out there much. Mr. V had insisted the boys ask her if it was alright for them to hang out on her property, and she gave her hearty consent for them to spend time there whenever they liked, so long as they left it in an equally good condition to the one they found it in. He decided it was the perfect spot for a picnic.

Ben made quick work of setting up their picnic. He refused to let Mal help because "I know you're capable, but this is supposed to be a gesture. Which it can't be if you help!" So Mal let him set things up, and then squealed in delight when she saw that he had not only brought her favorite burger from Fred's (the 'Breakfast Burger,' featuring a fried egg, bacon, cheese, and a special sauce), but strawberries as well.

After they had eaten, Ben was laying on his side on the picnic blanket, while Mal sat across from him with her ankles tucked under her, her knees together. They had chatted comfortably while they ate, with Ben telling stories about his life and Mal laughing and teasing him. But Mal hadn't shared much, and Ben was curious.

"I feel like I've talked this whole time. Tell me about yourself. Tell me anything." Ben tried to encourage her with a smile, but Mal's face looked unsure.

"I don't know what to say. I'm not exactly… used to this sort of thing," Mal responded, refusing to meet Ben's eyes.

"What, you don't do this all the time?" Ben said in a sort of joking tone, but the moment it was out of his mouth, he wished he had sounded more serious.

"Yeah, we don't _date _much in Varin. We mostly participate in… gang activity." Mal wrinkled her nose at that last phrase.

Ben chuckled a little. "I mostly meant open up to people, but okay. So, no ex-boyfriends I should worry about?" He paused. "Or current ones for that matter?"

Mal snorted. "Nope, no boyfriends that you need to worry about, current or past."

"Well good. Because, well, Mal…" Ben was nervous about his question. "I was wondering… I know the first isn't even over yet, but will you go on a second date with me?"

Mal's eyes got a little sad for just a moment, and Ben held his breath. But when she finally responded, her answer was pretty unexpected. "I'm not good for you. You shouldn't go out with me at all, really."

Ben exhaled quickly. "What? What makes you say that?" He couldn't help the shock in his voice.

Mal sighed, staring at a small hole in the dock instead of looking at Ben. All he wanted was for her to look at him. Her brow furrowed as she explained. "I'm from Varin, Ben. That pretty much guarantees me a life of crime or poverty. Or both. I don't really belong in your world, and eventually I'll end up back in mine. The last few days have proven that I'm not welcome." Ben felt like she was hiding something, holding something back from him, but he decided not to push.

Instead, Ben reached out his hand to hold hers in her lap. She finally looked at him, and there was so much uncertainty in her eyes, so much fear. "That's not true. You and I, neither of us has a 'world' that we belong to. We make our own choices. I mean, I could totally end up squandering every opportunity I've been given and end up in a situation worse than yours. And you could make the most of all of your opportunities and become famous and a millionaire. We aren't destined to be our parents, Mal."

"I'm not convinced that I won't turn out just like her." She turned her head away again, but Ben sat up and gently lifted her face.

"I am. I look into your eyes and I'm sure that you have the potential to be so much more than she is." Mal blushed but didn't respond. The pair just sat there for a moment. When he couldn't take the silence anymore, Ben exhaled one awkward chuckle. "So, uh, how do you feel about fishing?"

"Um, fishing?" Mal questioned, laughter hiding in her voice. "I've never been fishing in my life."

"Well how would you feel about trying it today?" Ben asked, trying to lighten the mood a bit (and prolong their date).

Mal laughed full out this time. "Uh, sure, I guess. But, don't you need supplies for that? Like, I don't know, maybe a fishing pole? Bait? At least?"

"Don't you trust me?" Ben ribbed, and then he got more serious. "Doug and I go fishing here all the time. We keep some gear in the shed on the other side of the property. It's about a five minute walk over there and super muddy, but I don't mind making the trek alone so you don't ruin your shoes if you're interested." He shrugged. "But it's totally up to you." (He really hoped she would be willing.)

"Yeah, that sounds great. But uh, I may actually run back up to the cabin to call Evie really quick, since I don't have service here. She said to call if I wouldn't be home before 1:30, and since we're fishing, I doubt I will be."

"Yeah, okay, that sounds great," Ben knew he was beaming like a fool, but he was excited to continue their afternoon. "I'll head over the shed, and I'll meet you back here in ten-ish minutes?"

"Perfect!" Mal said, and she hastily stood up with her phone and pulled her boots back on. She raced back up the path to call her roommate.

* * *

"Hey E," Mal said as soon as Evie picked up the phone.

"M, what's up? Is everything okay?" Evie sounded concerned.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I made up an excuse about needing to call if our date was extended, and I have about eight minutes before I have to be back."

"So why did you call?" Evie sounded less concerned now, and only confused.

"Well, first of all, it is _totally _unfair how attractive he looks in literally a button down and slim khaki pants. And his _eyes_, ohmigosh. His eyes are so expressive. I want to paint them. I've never known anyone as honest and open as he is." She huffed. Mal knew she sounded lovestruck and pathetic, but she was talking to the only person who she knew would keep her secret.

"So, what's the issue? You wouldn't call just to give me an overly expressive description of Prez Charming." Evie was starting to sound a little impatient. "You wouldn't call in the middle of your date unless it mattered. So what's up?"

Mal hesitated, but knew she couldn't stay on this date unless she processed her feelings, or at the very least said them out loud. "I think I like Ben. Like, really like him." Her voice was softer, gentler than it was before.

Evie sighed audibly over the phone. "Isn't that a good thing? I'm pretty sure you're supposed to like the guy you go on dates with." Mal rolled her eyes, even though Evie couldn't see her do it. Evie knew anyway. "Don't roll your eyes at me M. Explain why you think it's a problem."

Mal paused and took a deep breath. "I like him. For real. You're not supposed to have feelings for your mark. I mean, how can I do what my mom wants me to do if I actually care about Ben and his well-being? I can't try to con him out of his family's money! But if I don't I can't be with him anyway, because Mom will keep me out of Auradon Prep. What do I do?" By the end of her rant, Mal knew she sounded a little hysterical, but she felt a little hysterical too, so whatever.

"Take a deep breath, M. Take it one day at a time. Maybe we can figure something else out. Just enjoy your date. Also, I'm pretty sure your eight minutes are up, so you need to get back to Ben."

"Oh crap! You're right! Shoot! I'll see you tonight. Bye E!" Mal hit the 'end call' button on her phone and shoved it into her pocket before turning and racing back down the trail.

* * *

Ben hadn't meant to eavesdrop on Mal's call. He really hadn't. He had gotten back to the dock faster than he had anticipated, so he packed up the remains of their lunch and was going to bring one of the backpacks back to the car. But by halfway up the path, he could hear what Mal was saying. And was struck with the reality that Mal was indeed hiding something. But she also said that she liked him. It sounded like she was stuck, and Ben was not going to give up on her just yet. So he snuck back down to the dock and waited for her there, and he acted like nothing had changed. _Well, maybe nothing has, _he said to himself. _Let's just see what happens next. _


	10. Meet the Parents

About a month after their first date, Mal and Ben were sitting in homeroom listening to Mr. Maldon talk about the upcoming Family Day as he distributed flyers.

"It's always a significant opportunity for your parents to get involved around the school. As you know, parental involvement is crucial in the success of you students, so do your best to get your parents to the event. It is on Sunday, November 29th, from 11 am until 3 pm. There will be booths set up for your parents to learn a bit more about what you kids have been doing, as well as opportunities for them to sign up to volunteer next semester. As I believe you are aware, both the choir and band will be performing, the home ec class will be providing snacks, there will be a couple of dramatic recitations from students in the theatre department, and several pieces from advanced art will be on display. It is always a fun celebration of all that we have accomplished as a school during the semester. And, it is _mandatory _for all students. So, everyone mark your calendars!"

There was a collective groan, and Mr. Maldon laughed. "Almost all of you were students here last year and should have known this was coming! We have this same event the Sunday after Thanksgiving _every year. _So the groaning can stop. It's not like you have any assignments, you just have to show up. It'll be fun."

Mal looked skeptically at Ben. "Is it really?" she asked.

"Well… I enjoyed it last year. I was in the acapella group that performed a really fun Disney medley. But… well… It's probably not your cup of tea."

Mal snorted. "That sounds like an understatement."

Ben grinned sheepishly. "I'm trying to make it sound at least _almost_ palatable."

"Will there be anything worth my time there? Or should I feign an illness?"

"My parents will be there. You can meet them. That's worth your time, right?" Ben's eyes looked hopeful, and suddenly, Mal felt really nervous. She didn't respond right away and Ben looked at her with concern. "Okay. You look a little like a deer in headlights."

"I do not!" she exclaimed, "But also, that's kind of a big deal, isn't it? Meeting your parents? I mean, I know your mom, but your dad? That feels like kind of a big thing to do at a school-wide function."

Mal was relieved to see a pensive look cross Ben's face as he nodded. "Man, I hadn't thought about that. I would probably be nervous too."

"I'm not nervous!" Mal protested, "just a little… hesitant."

Ben laughed at that. "Okay, your highness."

"Um, excuse me? Your highness?" Mal responded, jokingly offended. "I'm not a pretty pink princess, as you should know!"

"True, but you are the sophomore first lady, which merits some kind of title I would think," Ben with an amused but affectionate smile. Mal wrinkled her nose in distaste.

"Eugh, don't remind me. I am _not _cut out to be a trophy wife. Or girlfriend or whatever. And _definitely _not cut out for politics."

Ben laughed at his violet-haired girlfriend. "So, I take it that I _shouldn't _call you First Lady?" he teased slyly.

"Eugh. Never!" she exclaimed. "Let's talk about something else."

"Can we go back to talking about Family Day?"

Mal grimaced. "If we have to. Although I don't see what else there is to say about it."

"We-ell," Ben began, "I have an idea… You might hate it though." Mal looked carefully at him, her head tilted to the right and raised one eyebrow. "Do you wanna come for brunch that morning? Then you can meet my dad beforehand and then we can spend a little time together before heading here for Family Day. Then we can do Family Day, split off from my parents if we need or want to, and then maybe go see a movie afterwards? I know you've been dying to see that new Thomas Doherty flick."

"I wouldn't say I'm _dying _to see it," Mal grumbled under her breath as she pondered his suggestion. "I guess that could be pretty okay," she finally agreed, and the relieved look on Ben's face made her smile, even though she was trying to hide it.

"Great! I'll talk to my parents tonight!" Ben sounded so excited.

HIs enthusiasm was contagious, and she couldn't help but catch it. "Yeah. It'll be fun, I'm sure!"

* * *

"Carlos, it's gonna be ready by then, right? I'm gonna have to start subtly mentioning it that morning, from our first meeting so no one gets suspicious, and I won't be able to with any confidence unless I know I have something backing me up in case they ask." Mal was sitting on her bed, anxiously tapping her pencil against her sketchbook.

Carlos, sitting on the floor leaning against Evie's bed, looked up at her from his computer. "Yes, Mal. I promise it'll be ready. I still have another day to get it done, and it's pretty close already." He sounded a bit exasperated, as though they had had this conversation a dozen times before. (In fact, they had had some variation of it more than a dozen times over the last two weeks since Mal had finalized the next few steps of her plan.)

Evie, who was sitting in the window seat, looked up from Mal's notebook in her lap (the one that clearly detailed every step of the plan so far). "Um, Mal? Why does it say 'break up with Ben' here, on the last page?"

Mal turned her head from Carlos to Evie so quickly it made Evie wince. "I just figure, he'll find out not long after and… well, it's better to break his heart sooner than later. I mean, leading him on while I'm ripping him off just seems a little extra… cruel." Mal could feel the tears welling up in her eyes at the thought, so she jumped off her bed and stepped into the hall. "I'll be back in a bit," she called over her shoulder. She needed to clear her head, so she decided to head for her favorite place in the world.

* * *

Mal had planned on heading to the cabin, the workshop, that she and the others had claimed so long ago. It was funny how her life had changed. Although it had been a source of respite and sanctuary for so many years, just a few months in Pixie Hollow had kept her from visiting once. So she hopped on a bus toward Varin with only her cell phone, sketch pad, and wallet. She spent the fifty-minute ride letting her pencil take the lead. Before she knew it, there was a portrait of Ben laughing, laying on that dock from their first date.

When Mal hopped off the bus at what used to be her usual stop, she saw her mom heading towards her.

"Oh Mal darling. How lovely of you to stop by and see your mother. I've been wondering how your little _project _is coming." Her eyes sparkled with malevolence.

Mal was inwardly panicking but managed to make her face look so neutral it was almost bored. She sighed. "Hi Mom."

Her mother took her by the arm and dragged her back to the apartment. "So, how is it going? You know you only have a few more months before the deadline!" she cackled.

"It's fine. I've got a plan. In fact, you should have your money by Christmas." Mal tried to sound nonchalant to her mother to keep her nerves a secret, but apparently her mother wasn't totally buying it.

"Oh Mallory, everyone gets nervous for their first. But remember the stakes are high. If you ever want to see your friends again, you'll get it right. Understand?"

"Yes, Mother." Mal did manage to sound annoyed rather than concerned that time.

"Very well. Off you go now, dear. I have a lot to get done this evening!" And with that, Mal was swept out the door.

"Great," Mal said to herself. "I really can't fail."

Mal walked over to the cabin, enjoying the cool evening air. When she got there, she walked in and immediately hung Ben's portrait next to the other portraits she had done: one of their whole group of four, one of Evie alone, and one with the boys together. "There. All the people I love together." She was surprised to realize that "love" was accurate. "I have to break up with the boy I _love_." Even just the thought made her tear up, and she let herself curl up on the couch to cry for a moment.

* * *

Two days later, Mal sat in the living room with Evie, anxiously waiting for Ben to pick her up to take her to brunch with his parents. Evie had dressed her in a blue sweater with lots of tiny purple dragons on it, dark wash jeans, and grey ankle boots with just enough heel to give Mal a little extra confidence. Evie had also decided to do a headband braid for Mal, leaving the rest of her hair flowing down her back. Mal had argued her way into being allowed to wear the teardrop pearl earrings Ben had given her for their one-month anniversary. ("It's only been a month, Ben! Anniversary is derived from the Latin for 'year!' You don't celebrate or buy gifts for every _month!_" Mal had exclaimed with a laugh when Ben presented her with the earrings a few days ago.) Although Evie had wanted her to wear earrings that were a bit more daring, she gave in to Mal's request quickly when she saw how important it was to her.

When Ben knocked on the door, Mal jumped, startled (which made Evie laugh), and then grabbed her jacket and purse and hurried to get the door.

"Hey Mal! You ready to go?" Ben asked with a charming smile as he held out his hand to her. She took it confidently.

"Yes, let's do it!" Mal stepped quickly out, closed the door behind her, and practically dragged Ben to his car.

"Oh-kay. When did you get so excited to meet my parents?" Ben asked with a spark in his eyes.

"Stop teasing," Mal commented drily. "You know I'm a little nervous about meeting your dad. I've heard he's pretty intense."

"You'll be fine. My mom likes you already, and Dad knows that she's a great judge of character. He trusts her judgement more than his own, usually."

"Whatever, I'm just ready to be there. The waiting is killing me!"

"Well, we're getting brunch here in Pixie Hollow, so it'll be soon. Mom is old friends with the owner of the Teapot Cafe and will use any excuse to come out here to eat. She said she hadn't seen Angie Potts since Easter and that we really ought to come out here more. Anyway, we're less than five minutes away, so don't worry."

Mal huffed, but was grateful for Ben's reassurances. She was also glad he didn't feel the need to fill the silence that followed. She glanced surreptitiously over to him after a moment to make sure he wasn't offended, and was reassured by his casual grin and the way he was tapping his fingers along with whatever John Denver song he had playing.

Before the song was even over, they had arrived at a quaint little cafe next to the local bookstore. "My aunt Jane owns the bookstore, did you know that?" Ben asked as he parked the car. "Technically she's my mom's cousin, but I grew up calling her Aunt Jane so it just stuck. But she's a super cool lady. She and her dad, my great Uncle Archimedes, went on this wild expedition in Africa a long time ago. He was a professor and she went along as a member of his team. For a long time she was only interested in academic literature, but her husband Zane is really into fantasy. He likes stories about talking animals. They actually met on the expedition. He was studying gorillas for a novel he was working on. He's a writer you see."

By the time Ben stopped chattering, the pair were out of the car and Mal's nerves were lessening. It helped that he had taken her hand as soon as he could and they were walking in together.

Almost as soon as they were inside the building, Mal saw Belle sitting at a table with a tall, dark-haired man wearing glasses and a sharp suit. "I see where you get your sense of style," Mal said with a nudge as she pulled Ben toward his parents.

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?" Ben looked at his girlfriend with mock-hurt for a moment before they reached the table. When they arrived, Ben's parents stood up.

"Mom, Dad, I want you to meet Mal. Mal, these are my parents."

"Ben, you know I already know Mal," his mother said to him with a smile. "Mal, it's good to see you, dear," she said, pulling Mal in for a hug.

"It's good to see you too, Mrs. V." When Belle released her, Mal turned to Ben's dad. "It's nice to meet you Mr. Villeneuve. I've heard a lot of really great things about you." She held out her hand to him and smiled.

Ben's dad took her hand and shook it. "I've heard a lot of great things about you too, Mal. And I have to tell you, Ben seems really happy with you. A lot happier than he was with that Audrey."

"Da-ad," Ben said, clearly embarrassed at his father's words. But Belle joined in as the foursome took their seats.

"Oh, I know. I was so relieved when I heard that they'd broken up. I didn't want to say anything, but I never much liked her. I always thought she was a little self-absorbed. Fake smile, kind of a kiss-up. You, Mal, are so authentic. And very unique."

Mal laughed and felt her cheeks flush. "Oh, I don't know about that. But I'm really happy to be with Ben. He's made an otherwise difficult transition much more bearable."

"Oh, have you had a tough semester?" Belle asked with concern in her eyes.

Before Mal could respond, a young man with blond hair and a chipped front tooth came over to their table. "Well hi Belle, Adam, Ben! How are you folks doing?" he asked with a smile.

Belle took it upon herself to respond for the group. "Oh, we're doing just fine. Chip, this is Mal, Ben's girlfriend. Mal, Chip is my friend Angie's son. Angie worked in a diner near my university that I used to frequent all the time. We've been friends ever since. Now, Angie owns this place."

"How is your mom, son?" Adam asked.

"Oh, she's great. Aunt Bea came for a visit, and they're excited to spend some time together."

"How fun! Say hi to them both for us, won't you?" Belle asked with a smile.

"For sure! Now, what can I get you folks to drink?"

"I'll take an Earl Grey tea please," Belle asked.

"Black coffee for me," Adam said.

"A chai please," Ben responded.

"Oh, um, black coffee for me too?" Mal said, feeling a bit unsure of even her drink order because of her nerves.

"You got it. I'll be back in a minute with those drinks!" Chip put away the small notebook where he was taking their orders and rushed back toward the kitchen.

Belle looked at Mal again. "Sorry for the interruption, dear. You said something about a rough transition. Have you had a hard semester?"

Ben squeezed her hand under the table, since their hands were still clasped, and Mal was reassured by it. "Well, sort of. I mean, I'm really enjoying some of the coursework, especially in English and Fine Art, but there have been certain social challenges to contend with." Mal shrugged. "It's not a big deal though. My friends and I can handle it."

Belle furrowed her brow. "Are the other students treating you poorly?"

"It's not so much that they're treating us poorly anymore, but they're not super welcoming these days, since they found out that Evie, Carlos, Jay, and I are from Varin. They call us the VKs, short for Varin Kids. Which honestly feels unoriginal, but whatever. We're fine. Ben's been really sweet and supportive, and Doug has been kind too, for the most part. Maybe less involved with us, though."

"I'm sorry you've had such a difficult time. I could speak to the headmistress if you like," Belle said with a consoling smile.

Mal shook her head. "Thank you, but that's not necessary. The other students will come around eventually. They'll respect us more if we gain their trust without involving the admins. And in the meantime, we're doing alright."

"If you're sure, then I won't do anything," Belle said, looking a bit unconvinced. "But if you ever do need help or if the other students start bullying, know that you can always come to me for help."

Before Mal could respond again, Chip returned with their drinks and took their orders, and when he left, the conversation drifted elsewhere.

_I'm doing okay, _Mal thought to herself. _Ben's parents are pretty great. But I don't know how I can do this to them… _


	11. Family Day

**Brief Author's Note: Just a heads up, there is some intense-ish verbal aggression in this chapter, and the beginnings of a car accident, although described pretty vaguely (and probably completely inaccurately, tbh. I've never been in a car accident, so?). Just wanted to let you know! I would LOVE to get your feedback! And I hope all is well with you in the midst of the insanity going on in the world right now! I hope you're enjoying my story! **

* * *

After brunch with Ben's parents, Mal was feeling less and less confident in her ability to pull off this con. _They're good people. They don't deserve this._ And then of course she thought _Ben would never forgive me._

"You okay over there?" Ben asked from the driver's seat. "My parents didn't scare you off, did they?"

Mal laughed. "Of course not. They were great! I had a lot of fun."

"So why have you been sighing and staring out the window anxiously for the last ten minutes?" Ben questioned, one eyebrow raised. Mal was surprised. She hadn't realized she had let her guard down so much around him.

"Oh, you know, just… thinking about my own parents." Mal lied quickly.

"Oh." Ben got really quiet, and Mal hoped he wouldn't keep pushing. But of course, after a moment, he did. "Will you tell me about them?"

"I don't know that there's much to tell. I've never met my father, I lived with my mother when she could be bothered to be there, which was decidedly not that often. They're criminals, both of them, and sometimes I think I'm just like them."

"You're not, I know it." Ben's voice sounded so confident, but Mal couldn't believe him. After all, he didn't know everything there was to know.

"I guess time will tell, huh?" Mal said quietly, staring out the window.

Ben sighed as he turned into the school's parking lot. "Time will prove me right, I'm sure," Mal heard him say under his breath, and she felt tears coming to her eyes.

_I wish he was right,_ she thought. _But I know better. _

* * *

While Ben parked, Mal texted Evie to let her know that she and Ben had arrived.

"Great! We're over at the snacks. The boys got pretty excited about the chocolate fountain. ;)" Evie responded promptly.

"Um, Evie and the boys are getting snacks, Ben. I promised I'd meet them. Do you want to come, or do you have something else you need to do?" Mal asked when they had gotten out of the car.

"The student council is doing a presentation, and even though I'm not speaking, I have to be there. Hence the suit you were mocking earlier," Ben said with a smile. "I would prefer to come with you, but I should go get ready and make sure everyone's there."

"Oh, why didn't you tell me? Do you want me to come watch?" Mal asked, concerned.

"No, it's not a big deal. Like I said, I'm not speaking. It's Family Day, so go be with your family," Ben said with a grin. "Snacks are in the courtyard. But I'll meet you here after everything, sound good?"

"Absolutely."

Mal turned to walk to the courtyard. "Have fun!" Ben called, and she glanced over her shoulder to see him grinning and waving at her. She waved back and continued to the courtyard.

When she got there, she found Evie holding Dude, the school mascot who Carlos had bonded with near the beginning of the semester.

"Hey E! You look great!" Mal said with a smile as she reached over to scratch behind Dude's ears.

"Thanks, Mal! I think this might be my favorite dress that I've made yet," Evie said, beaming at the compliment. She spun to show it off. It was a bright dress with a geometric blue print that flowed when she spun. The top was mostly covered by a black leather jacket, but the dress cinched at the waist, and the skirt hit just at her knee. Underneath she wore grey tights and black boots that hit her mid-calf.

"So where are the boys?" Mal asked, looking around. "Ah wait. There they are," she laughed. They were standing beside the chocolate fountain dipping various fruits into it and then sticking them straight into their mouths.

"How was the First Family?" Evie asked with a knowing grin. "Did you like them?" Mal sighed and her face fell. "Oh no, was it bad?" Evie's tone was very gentle and her face changed abruptly from teasing to concerned.

"No, it was great," Mal answered. "Really great. I love them. And I don't think I can..."

"Oh." There was a pause. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Before Mal could answer, Audrey stormed over to the pair. "What are you two doing here? This is a party for people who have families! It's Family Day!"

Mal was stunned by the outburst. "Audrey, it's mandatory for us to be here. Move on," she snarled.

"You're not welcome here, Varin Kids!" Audrey sneered back. "None of us want you," she then gestured to a group of their classmates standing with her, including Chad, Jane, and Lonnie. Many of them, including Chad, wore sneers as ugly as Audrey's, although a few of them looked a bit less certain.

Mal felt a warm hand on her shoulder. She looked beside her to see that Jay and Carlos had joined her and Evie. Jay had his hand on her shoulder and Carlos had his arm around Evie. Jay's face was impassive, but in his eyes Mal saw deep hurt.

"Back off, Audrey!" Carlos snapped. "We don't care if you want us or not, we're here to stay. So deal."

"You're not here to stay. I looked into your parents. Evie, your mom's only achievement was being a beauty queen in some two-bit small town, and she's still trying to ride that one pathetic victory. Jay, your father's a petty thief who runs a failing business, and I bet he raised you to steal things too. Carlos, has your mom ever even had a job? There's not much out there on her, except for an arrest back the year you were born. And Mal, your mom deserves to be in prison for life! And you four are _just _as useless as they are. You'll never make anything of yourselves, even if you survive here at Auradon Prep. You might as well save yourselves the effort and just go back." Audrey cackled.

Jay's hand got stiff and heavy on her shoulder, and she heard Evie sniffle. "Come on guys, Audrey and her crew aren't worth this." Mal straightened her shoulders and held her head up high. "Let's blow this popsicle stand."

Mal and her friends turned and left the courtyard with as much dignity as they could muster, while their classmates pelted their retreating backs with taunts and jeers.

* * *

The foursome found refuge in a dimly lit corner of the library. They didn't speak, they just sat together on the floor, Evie crying into Jay's shoulder while Jay rubbed her back, Carlos stroking Dude and staring off into space, and Mal angrily flicking her pen against her leg. Within two minutes, Ben arrived.

"Guys, I heard. I am _so sorry. _I _never _would have expected that to happen! And I promise I wouldn't have left you alone if I had known." Ben's agitation was obvious by the way his hands were shaking.

"Bro, how'd you even hear about it? It just happened," Jay asked, his hand now on Evie's shoulder even as she was pulling herself together and digging through her bag to find her compact mirror to check her makeup.

"Doug saw Audrey approach you from the other side of the courtyard. He didn't think much of it until he heard shouting, something about your parents, but couldn't get over to you in time. He texted me and suggested I look here. Are you guys okay?"

"We'll be fine," Jay said calmly.

"We just need a minute," Mal said, trying to assuage and gently dismiss her boyfriend simultaneously.

Ben must have understood Mal's dismissal. He nodded. "Okay. Well, if you've checked in with your homeroom teacher, you can probably sneak out now. Mal, whenever you're ready, just text me and I'll meet you," he finished with a grim smile. When Mal reassured him with a nod, he turned and left.

When Ben was gone, Carlos exhaled angrily. "I just don't get why they care. We literally aren't doing anything to them."

"It's me." Mal felt the weight of truth in her words. "Audrey hates me. She thinks I'm the reason Ben dumped her. She's the one who galvanized our classmates. She's the reason they hate us."

"That's not true," Evie said, reaching out to take Mal's hand consolingly.

"Yeah it is." There was a finality in her tone that matched her feelings. "And I think I have to fix it."

"You can't break up with him, M," Evie warned. "Not if you want to finish what you started."

"Yeah, Mal. We can handle a few insults. It's not like we haven't heard worse," Carlos added.

"Mal, you can't give it all up just because our classmates suck," Jay replied. "Carlos is right, we can deal."

"But you shouldn't have to. And I can stop it." Mal stood up suddenly. "I'll see you guys at home, okay?"

"Mal, don't do something you'll regret." Evie's words had no effect on Mal as she stooped to pick up her purse and moved toward the exit. She didn't even respond before leaving the group.

"Mal really likes Ben," Evie shared with the boys as they watched her go. "She shouldn't break up with him."

"I know. I've never seen her so happy," Jay reflected.

* * *

Mal texted Ben that she was ready to leave once she checked in with Mr. Maldon, and sure enough, when she arrived at his car ten minutes later, he was already there with the car on. She slid in the passenger seat.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"You okay?" he asked gingerly, clearly trying not to upset her.

"Yeah, let's just go, okay?" Mal sighed.

"Yeah, let's go. You still up for a movie? I think there's a showing of the Doherty flick in about 20 minutes at the theater in Pixie Hollow. We'd miss some of the previews, but we should make it for the actual movie."

"Just take me back to Fred and Snow's." Mal knew her tone was aloof and listless.

Ben didn't respond immediately, but when he did, Mal was surprised that he had changed the subject. "So, uh, are Jay and Evie a couple?"

"What? Jay and Evie?" Mal chuckled. "Definitely not. Evie likes Doug. Apparently standing up for her in physics and all of those 'study dates' have really won her over to him. Not to mention the fact that Jay and Carlos are like our brothers. None of us have ever dated each other, and we never will. It would be too weird."

"Gotcha. Well, Doug will be glad to hear that. He's liked her since the first day he met her."

"Yeah, I know. We all know. He hasn't exactly been subtle. But you can't tell him. Evie told me that in confidence. They'll figure it out on their own. She's not exactly subtle either." Mal smirked. "Why did you ask?"

"I mean, she was crying into his shoulder, and the way he was rubbing her back just felt couple-y? I don't know. Even when she was calming down, he still had his hand on her shoulder. The constant contact thing seems romantic."

"Yeah, it's not. It's just that Jay and I are kind of the protective ones in the group. We can seem aloof and unconcerned, but you mess with our people, you get it. Evie and Carlos are our heart. When your heart breaks, you hold it close, right? Try to comfort it the best you can. Do what you can to make sure it doesn't break again. Jay and I were friends before Evie and Carlos joined us, but then Evie and Jay bonded and suddenly there were four of us. We're all close, but the connection is special between those two. It's the one that brought us all together."

Ben nodded in response, and Mal paused. She didn't want to do this, but she knew she had to. She couldn't hurt Ben by becoming just like her mother, and she couldn't let Audrey keep hurting her best friends because she was dating Ben. So she decided to just rip off the bandaid.

"I can't date you anymore," Mal said quickly, her voice shaking and her hands trembling.

Ben was so shocked that he jerked his head to look at her. "WHAT?" he practically shouted in the confined space, and Mal flinched.

"Watch the road, Ben." She gestured toward the road through the windshield.

"Why are you breaking up with me?" Mal cringed at the hurt in his voice. Hurt and disappointment.

"It's the right thing to do. It's the only way to make things right." Mal said, forcing herself to stare at her shoes.

"I don't understand. What do you mean?" Ben insisted, as Mal knew he would.

_I should have waited until we were closer to Pixie Hollow, _Mal thought to herself before she heard a screech and the sound of glass shattering and metal crunching and Ben's voice crying out in pain.

* * *

Mal was sitting at the bus stop with her backpack filled with her most important possessions: a photo of her, Evie, Jay, and Carlos; her sketchbook, one of Ben's hoodies she had borrowed one afternoon when it was cold, and the leather jacket Evie had made her. She had also packed a couple of sandwiches and a bottle of water. As she saw the bus approaching, she shot off a text to Evie. "I'm so sorry. Tell them all I'm sorry. I'm leaving." And for the first time in her life, she let herself cry in front of other people.


	12. Life Without

Two weeks after Ben's car accident, the school still wasn't over it. And neither was Ben. He knew he was being moody and unpleasant, but he missed Mal. He wanted to talk to her, find out what demons in her past had led to this. He spent a lot of time defending her to anyone who bothered him about the incident.

"I'm telling you, she made sure I was okay. She called 911 and saw me safely into the ambulance before she even talked to the police. It wasn't her fault. _I_ was driving!"

He didn't even care that he was going to miss out on at least the first half of basketball season because of his fractured wrist. He just wanted her to come back. But because he couldn't bring her back (he didn't know where she was), he did the next best thing: he started spending more time with her best friends.

They all felt her absence deeply. Sometimes, Ben would see the three of them across the hallway, and he could almost see the hole she left. Jay, who always stood on her left, still stood a little ways away from Evie, who existed almost entirely at Mal's right. It was like he was holding Mal's place for her, waiting for her to return. So when Ben walked with the three of them, he always walked on Jay's other side, to make sure Mal's place was secure.

* * *

The school eventually calmed down and stopped treating the VKs so terribly. Evie was glad she didn't have to worry about being harrassed anymore, but she still missed her best friend.

When Mal first sent her that text, Evie panicked and called her. But of course, Mal didn't pick up. She called over and over, and when Mal's phone finally stopped ringing and just went straight to voicemail, she called Ben instead. He told her what had happened and that he was alright, so she headed straight for Varin, Jay and Carlos in tow.

The first place they went was the cabin, but Mal had apparently already come and gone. Her sketch of the four of them, as well as her sketch of Ben, had been removed. The duffel bag she had always kept spare clothes in had also vanished, and the cabinet where they kept extra food in case one of them had to hide out for a night was empty.

"Where would she go next guys?" Evie asked the boys, just a little bit hysterically.

Jay sighed. "Nowhere in particular. At least, that's what we always talked about before you guys."

"What does that even mean?" Carlos asked, agitated.

"It means we always said we would leave Varin and go anywhere and everywhere and nowhere in particular. Just hop on a bus and ride to the end of the line. Then find another one and keep going until we're sick of buses and decide to hop off and settle."

"When did you plan this?" Evie asked.

"It wasn't a plan, not really. More of a dream. And we talked about it the summer before 6th grade. That was the summer my mom left, and Mal's mom was around a _lot _those days working on some big score, so we were both here a lot." Jay shrugged. "I never thought she would do it alone, though."

"Well she couldn't stay in Varin. That was always obvious. Her mom would never forgive her for what she did. Not to mention Uma, Harry, and Gil wouldn't have exactly welcomed her back into town long term." Evie tried to reason through where Mal might be, but Carlos stopped her.

"Guys, I don't think we'll figure it out. But we have to trust that she'll let us know that she's safe. She always does. We're family," the white-haired teen pointed out with a calm voice, in spite of the tears in his eyes.

"We should just go back to Fred and Snow's. Maybe she left us a clue," Jay said, although his voice lacked conviction. "Even if she didn't, there's not much else we can do here."

* * *

Jay had been right: Mal had left no trace. And he was devastated. Mal had been his best friend since before he started kindergarten. Back then Mal's hair was blonde and his hair was short. Mal had been sliding down the slide while Jay was trying to climb up it when they collided in the middle. Mal had ended up with a bloody nose and Jay got an earful from her afterwards. But when the shouting and the bleeding had stopped, they realized that they had a common enemy in some of the older kids, and they became allies. When they met again two weeks later in Madame Mimm's kindergarten class, their friendship was solidified. Jay could barely remember his life before Mal and didn't know what it could look like without her.

Jay had never been much of a talker, and that didn't change just because Mal left. In fact, he became less willing to talk. But he trained harder at football practice (State Championships were coming up), and he went running a lot more, and when Lonnie suggested he learn how to fence, he eagerly devoted much of his extra time to it. Although outwardly, the general school population didn't see anything different in him, Jay couldn't bear the looks Carlos and Evie gave him; their looks told him they saw how deep his hurt ran. So whenever one of them gave him a glance, Jay found himself suddenly wanting to go for a run or a sparring session.

* * *

Carlos was, in some ways, the least affected by Mal's absence. He loved Mal like a sister and grieved her departure, but his ties with her were different than the other two VKs. She was not his confidante, nor was he hers. He hadn't grown up relying on her friendship. She was often his comforter, but never his only one.

A couple of days after she left, she emailed the three of them to let them know that she was safe and reiterating that she wouldn't come back. Carlos tried to trace the email, but he couldn't find anything.

After it was confirmed that Mal had left for good, Audrey relented from her vehement protests against the VKs. Within a week of her flight, Jane found herself in need of Carlos's help. Headmistress Paxson had heard about the debacle at Family Day and Jane was severely punished, both at school and at home. She realized how bigoted she had been, and how easily swayed by Audrey. She was so embarrassed, but Doug told her not to hide from Carlos and the others. It would be much more beneficial for everyone, including Carlos, for Jane to apologize and befriend him again. So she did, using a problem with the school's website as a vehicle to repair their friendship. It took some time for his trust in her to be renewed, but eventually it was, and their friendship deepened.

* * *

It was the first Wednesday of December, about two and a half weeks after Mal left. Evie and Doug were studying at the Teapot Cafe. They were supposed to be studying Physics, but Evie kept staring into her coffee and sighing.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Doug asked gently, closing his textbook on his pen and reaching for her hand.

Evie looked up at him and smiled sadly. "It's nothing you haven't heard before."

"You miss Mal." It was a statement, without even a hint of question.

"It just feels like she should be here, ya know? Jay was voted MVP after they won State last weekend. And Carlos is doing so well; he's made some incredible progress on his Mal-Vie database-program-thing. And I'm doing so well in school. I think I'll finish this semester with a 4.0 GPA, which has never happened before. It's like for the first time, I'm more than just a pretty face."

"Shocker, huh?" Doug teased lightly, but Evie practically ignored him. Doug didn't care though. He knew she needed to talk through things.

"Mal should be here, being happy with Ben, excited about the art she's creating, succeeding in school so that she can get a full ride to the Art Institute of Camelot like she's always wanted to."

"I know, Evie. I wish she was here too." Doug grimaced. He wished he could say more about how much he respected and appreciated her roommate, but couldn't find the words. Mal had always been, well, not exactly kind to him, but had always been straightforward with him and respectful of him and clearly trusted him. They had developed a rapport that he missed. But even if he could find the words, he didn't think they would help. This conversation was about Evie's sadness.

"I just wish I could have convinced her not to leave," Evie said wistfully before taking a sip of her coffee.

"Do you know why she did leave?" Doug questioned. Somehow, their conversations hadn't yet addressed that oh-so-relevant detail.

"It's not my story to tell, but yeah."

"So not just because of the accident," Doug surmised.

"No, she was going to leave even before the accident," Evie admitted.

"I see. Well, I won't pry if you don't want to tell me. But I think Ben blames it all on the accident, so it might help him if you share at least some of the story." Evie started to object, but Doug cut her off. "I'm not telling you you have to, just think about it? For me?" Evie nodded. "Thanks. Now, I think I'm going to get a slice of cake. Wanna share it?"

* * *

That Friday, Ben was sitting in the library after school, trying to work on his final essay for English, when his phone rang. It was a number he didn't recognize, but the area code was from Camelot and he figured he might as well answer. After all, he had friends in Camelot whose numbers weren't saved to his phone.

When he picked up, he was surprised at the voice on the other end of the call.

"Hello, this is Ben," he said, his standard greeting for unknown calls.

"Uh, hi Ben." He would have known that voice anywhere.

"Mal?" He straightened and immediately started twisting the signet ring she had designed around his finger. (His parents had loved Mal's crest design so much that they made it into a real ring for Ben as a congratulatory 'Class President' gift.)

"How's it going?" Ben could hear the nervousness in her voice, so he opted to follow her lead and not discuss what had happened between them, much as he didn't want to. He didn't want to scare her off, after all.

"Oh, it's fine. I think I finally convinced the rest of the Student Council that it's the right time to start implementing Phase Two of our recycling plan, so that's exciting. What about you? What have you been up to?"

"Not much. Lots of drawing, lots of reading, lots of buses. I've been hanging out in The Gardens a lot."

"The Merlin Gardens?"

"No, The Gardens of the Sword. You know, the famed Sword in the Stone."

"Oh yeah. Kay's lies were exposed there, you know."

"I see the plaque commemorating it every day." Ben could hear the smile in her voice, but didn't know what else to say. There was a long pause, and then, "I should probably go. I'm on a pay phone and out of change. Apparently Camelot is still Medieval."

"Right. Well, uh, I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah. See you around Ben." Ben heard the call end and he put down his phone. A plan for his next move was already formulating in his mind.


	13. An Unexpected Visitor

Mal was sitting on a bench in The Gardens of the Sword. She had her sketchbook on her lap, and she was drawing a bird perched delicately on a tree branch. She was inspired by several birds fluttering around her. It was a peaceful day, sunny and bright. The kind of day she had loved back in Auradon before, well, everything. She sighed and looked back down at her drawing. She was adding in some shading under a leaf when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hi." Mal smiled even before she looked up. And sure enough, there behind the bench stood Ben.

"How're you doing?" She asked with a smile as she closed her sketchbook.

"Good, how are you?" Ben answered with an equally friendly smile.

"Good. You hungry?" Mal raised an eyebrow.

"Starved."

Mal nodded knowingly, her bangs falling out of her braid and into her eyes. "I know a place." She tucked her sketchbook back into her backpack and led him down the road.

Ben was dressed in khaki pants and a blue button down shirt, just like their first date, only now he was wearing his Varsity Jacket (from basketball) and a clearly homemade yellow scarf. The realization sent Mal's stomach plummeting, although she did her best not to let it show. She pulled on gloves as they walked. "So how'd you get here?"

"I drove. It's only a couple hours from Auradon."

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Funny, it feels so far away." Mal realized the implications of what she had said (that she thought of him often) and didn't want to give Ben space to respond. "So how long are you here for?"

"I've got a little while. Why?"

"After we eat, there's this little used bookstore that you'd love. I want to show it to you. The guy who runs the place is crazy. He knows everything about practically every book and author out there. Has some pretty obscure titles."

"Sounds great, let's go." Mal smiled at Ben's enthusiasm. It was almost like nothing had happened between them.

* * *

They had stopped at Mal's favorite food truck ("Ben, PB&J can _totally _be gourmet!" "I'm not arguing. PB&J is my favorite food!"), and then Mal dragged Ben to DunBroch Used Books.

On the way, Mal glanced cautiously over to Ben's arm, still in a cast. "So, uh. How's the arm?" Her tone had become stilted and stiff and she couldn't make eye contact.

"It's fine. The cast comes off in a few weeks."

"Oh good. Are you gonna get to play basketball any this season?"

"Yeah, I think I'll be back practicing by mid-January."

"Oh good. And uh, how are…" Mal couldn't finish her question. There were so many ways she could finish it: Evie, Jay, and Carlos; Evie and Doug; your parents; our classmates; Fred and Snow; the list went on and on. But Ben finished it for her.

"Everyone's fine. Evie, Jay, and Carlos really miss you a lot. You know Jay was voted MVP after they won the State Championship?"

"Yeah, I watched the game online. He played really well."

"I could tell everyone hi for you, if you want."

"Uh, yeah. That'd be great." Mal had briefly looked at Ben, but quickly looked away again. Then, she realized where they were. "Here we are! Let's go!"

Mal led the way into the store. It was a cramped little space, but they had so many interesting books. Ben was digging through the poetry section, just because. "Who's Eilonwy Black?" Ben asked Mal, who was checking out the books about famous artists behind him. She shrugged.

"Eilonwy Black, from the small city of Prydain. One collection of poetry published twenty years ago. Thirty-five poems in total. Only one edition printed." A burly red-headed man with a long red beard and a thick Scottish accent who was shelving books on the other side of the very small store had answered very quickly.

Mal and Ben made eye contact for a second before Mal started laughing and Ben just nodded. "Thanks." He returned the small worn book to the shelf. "Wow, check this out!" Ben exclaimed as he pulled a leather bound volume from the shelf beside it.

"Cool, a first edition of the _Collected Poems of Lady Kida Nedakh Thatch. _What an awesome find."

"This is my mom's _favorite _poet! She's totally gonna flip when she sees it!" Ben pulled his wallet out of his pocket and went immediately to the register to buy it.

Mal smiled a bit sadly to herself. Ben's enthusiasm and generosity to his loved ones were things that she had loved about him and missed now that she had left. It would be hard to say goodbye when the time came.

"You ready to head out of here?" Ben asked when he had finished his purchase.

"Yeah, if you are."

"Great. I should probably get on the road semi-soon, but wanna grab a coffee first?"

Mal sighed internally. She debated whether to prolong her time with him or just say goodbye now. But she couldn't willingly deprive herself of any amount of time with Ben, so she said, "Sure. There's a place just around the corner. It reminds me a little of the Teapot Cafe." She grimaced internally, hoping Ben wouldn't be reminded of the morning they had spent there together with his parents. Unfortunately, she saw a shadow cross his face that told her that he was in fact thinking of that very day.

She grabbed his hand without letting herself think anything of it and pulled him to the Snuggly Duckling. She ordered a black coffee for herself and Ben got a chai. Then they sat down to wait for their drinks.

There was a moment's silence where Mal just watched Ben as he looked around the space.

"It does feel a little like the Teapot Cafe, doesn't it?" he said smiling.

Mal didn't respond to his comment, and instead asked, "Why did you come here?"

Ben looked at her a bit forlornly. "You never said goodbye."

"Oh."

At that precise moment, one of the baristas brought over their drinks and two mini cupcakes on a plate. "You looked like you could use something sweet, and they're strawberry, your favorite," the gruff-looking man explained.

Mal smiled at him. "Thanks Vlad, they look beautiful. Tell Attila that I'm sure they're delicious."

The barista walked away and Mal stared at the cupcakes.

"So, do you want to tell me about this plot that you and your mother hatched against my family?"

Mal looked up in surprise. "Who told you?" Although she was uncomfortable, she held eye contact with him; she needed to see his expression when he told her.

"You did. Our first date, you were on the phone with, I guess Evie? and you mentioned how 'you're not supposed to actually have feelings for your mark,' or something like that. Then you said, 'how am I supposed to steal his money when I actually like him?' You also mentioned your mother and how she would keep you away from AP, so I assume she's a part of all this."

Mal felt her cheeks warm and her eyes filled with tears. "My mother is evil. Truly and completely. She's been pulling jobs and working cons since long before I was born. She doesn't even go by her name anymore. Whatever name she was born with died years ago, and now she calls herself Maleficent. People in our world fear even just her name. And she wants me to be just like her. I've been helping her pull cons my whole life, but Jay, Evie, and Carlos have encouraged me to do something better with my life. I want to bring beauty into the world, not steal it from people. That's why I wanted to go to Auradon Prep. Such a prestigious school would give me a better chance at getting into the Art Institute of Camelot. But Mom would only let me come if I agreed to a con of _my_ choice but _my mom's_ amount. If I refused, she would pull me out of school entirely and probably lock me up. So before I ever set foot in Auradon, I decided that you would be my mark. I would create a fake charity and ask you and your family to donate. And then I would vanish. But it didn't exactly end up that way. And since I didn't get my mom the money she wanted, I can't go back to Varin and I can't go back to Auradon."

Mal took a deep breath. She was relieved to have finally revealed her deep dark secret. But it was also painful. She knew Ben would despise her after her confession of what she had planned to do. But when he didn't respond to her story, she asked the question that had been in the back of her mind since he had confessed his prior knowledge of the situation. Still holding eye contact, she asked, "So then what, have you just been faking our relationship since that first date? Waiting to see what I would try to pull?"

Ben grabbed her hand on the table. "I haven't been faking anything, Mal."

Mal took a deep breath in and gave him a small smile. "Oh."

The pair held eye contact for a moment.

Eventually, Ben cleared his throat and looked away. "I should get going. I have to be home for dinner."

"Oh. Right. Yeah. Of course."

Mal watched him, and she could see the turmoil he was dealing with cross his face. She knew what he probably wanted to ask, but knew that he knew that she couldn't go back with him. Not if her mother might find her.

Eventually, he looked at her and said, "if you ever need any legal help, like say, being legally emancipated from your mother, my dad loves pro bono work." He set a business card with his dad's information on the table in front of her and walked out of the shop. When he got to the door, he turned and waved goodbye. And then he was gone.


	14. A Dramatic Conclusion

**Brief Author's Note: ****Hi! This is basically the last chapter! I am working on an epilogue, but this is the real finale of the story. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it! Definitely let me know what you think! **

**I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!**

* * *

Ben drove the two hours back to Auradon in silence. He was haunted by the terrified look in Mal's eyes when she told him about her mother. He had always seen Mal as strong and unafraid, completely unapologetically herself. He could never have imagined or guessed her mother's influence on the girl that he was definitely still in love with.

Ben wanted to fix everything, but he knew that some problems were bigger than a sixteen year old kid could handle alone.

* * *

Ben rushed to Doug's after dinner that night to tell him everything. Of course, Evie was over, so Ben accidentally interrupted their date. But the pair was really laid back about it.

"Oh, hi Ben. What's up?" Doug asked when his mom ushered Ben into the living room. There, Doug and Evie were curled up on the couch watching _The Princess Diaries._ He reached for the remote and paused the movie while Evie reached over and flicked the lamp back on.

"Gosh, guys I'm sorry. I didn't think. But it's a Saturday night, of course you guys are doing something. I didn't mean to interrupt, I'll get out of your way-" Ben rambled as he stepped backwards to leave them alone.

"No Ben, it's okay. You seem upset. If you need Doug, I can head home now and leave you guys to it." She smiled at Doug. "I know how valuable he is, especially when you're in crisis mode. Everyone deserves to have their best friend by their side." Her smile got a little melancholy for a moment before she started unraveling herself from her comfortable position on the couch.

"Evie, you're the best," Doug whispered in her ear as she picked up her sweater from beside her.

"No, Evie. You can stay, if you don't mind me interrupting your evening. You'll be interested too," Ben said apologetically.

Evie's eyes went wide. "Mal?" she asked in a whisper. Ben only nodded. She resettled into her seat on the couch and anxiously grabbed Doug's hand. "What happened?"

"Mal called me yesterday. From Camelot. So today I surprised her with a visit. She told me everything."

"Everything?" Evie asked skeptically. "What do you mean by everything?" She raised one eyebrow.

"I know about her mom, the plan they hatched, all of it."

"What plan?" Doug interrupted.

"You didn't tell him? Even after she left?" Ben looked at Evie.

"Of course not. I'm her _best friend_. I would never betray her confidence. Besides, I don't want him to hate her. She's _my_ best friend."

Ben turned to Doug. "I really need to know what you think about everything."

"Then tell me everything," Doug said calmly. "But first, I'm gonna go get a pot of tea started. How does chamomile sound?"

* * *

Ben relayed to the pair everything that had happened, from eavesdropping on Mal's call on their first date, to the phone call from her the day before, to every word of conversation they shared that afternoon.

When he finished, Doug exhaled. "There's so much. Wow. Yeah. Okay. And you knew?" Doug turned to Evie.

"I've always known. Even before Carlos and I became friends with Mal and Jay, I knew about her mother. We were all raised in the family trade. Except for Carlos. His mother's animal abuse became his intense fear of animals, until just before we came to Auradon. But, back to the point, I've always known what Maleficent was and what she wanted Mal to be. For a long time I was afraid of Mal because of her mother. She's not exactly a pleasant woman, and she has been known to be violent when the occasion arises. The only reason we even became friends is because of Jay."

"And you knew about this con that she was going to pull?"

"I helped her plan it." Evie's face dropped. "We all did. We knew that if Maleficent wasn't appeased we would never see our best friend again. Of course, it seems like we won't see her again anyway, so…" She looked up at Ben. "I'm sorry. I suggested you. I mean, I think she was leaning toward you anyway, but, I was the one to say it out loud."

Ben shook his head. "I don't care about that. You were doing what you thought you had to to save your friend."

Doug squeezed her hand. "I didn't know how hard things really were for you guys."

Evie shook her head,"You were never meant to know. But you do now. It is what it is."

"What do I do?" Ben asked his friends.

Evie could see the sadness in his eyes. He looked like a lost boy. "Nothing." She said the one word with a finality that broke both of their hearts.

Doug nodded. "Unfortunately, I think Evie's right. Considering everything. It's not like Maleficent has done anything illegal that we can prove, and Mal doesn't want to come back. She doesn't have to. Technically, she is still under her mother's guardianship."

"If that's ever going to change, she has to take the steps herself." Evie stood up and walked over to Ben, sitting in a chair across the room. She gave him a hug. "It sucks. It really really sucks. But that's how it is for now."

She looked over to Doug with a question in her eyes, and thankfully, Doug caught it. He nodded and smiled.

"Ben, I think we're going to turn _Princess Diaries _back on, if you want to join us."

Evie grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the couch. She sat down next to Doug and patted the seat on her other side. "Join us." Ben hesitated. "Don't be alone in the hard moments if you don't have to be," she said calmly.

Ben practically fell into the seat next to her. "Okay."

* * *

Doug and Evie had agreed to go to Homecoming together, and Carlos asked Jane to be his date around the same time. Ben had obviously been planning on going with Mal, which meant that Jay was going to ask a date too, but things had changed, so Ben and Jay decided to get a group of friends to go together, which Doug, Evie, Carlos, and Jane chose to join.

The Homecoming Formal was on December 18th, the last night of the semester and almost two weeks after Ben had surprised Mal in Camelot. It was the last event of a week of Homecoming events including a parade, a couple of fundraisers, and a dinner for Auradon Prep alumni.

That night, Doug borrowed his mom's SUV to pick up Evie, Jay, and Carlos around 4. They were going to drive to Ben's, where they would meet Jane, Lonnie, Hannah, Jordan, Dave, and Logan for dinner and pictures before the dance at 7. Mrs. Villeneuve had prepared a large meal for the hungry teens and cleaned up her garden and library to be used for pictures. She made sure to get pictures of every couple, every single person, all the guys, all the girls, a whole group photo, and every other possible combination of people as possible.

Ben was a little bummed throughout the whole process, but did his best to put on a cheerful face. While Jane and Carlos were having their pictures taken, Evie sidled over to him.

"I miss her too. I even finished making her dress this week, even though I knew she wouldn't be here to wear it."

Ben smiled at her, unsurprised that she knew where his thoughts were. Evie was very intuitive. "You did?"

She sighed. "Yeah, both Snow and Doug told me it would help me process. They were right. But getting ready was still hard without her."

"Yeah, my mom suggested that I buy a corsage for her and send it to her later. I pointed out that I don't have her mailing address or a way to find it out, but she insisted. It's in our fridge right now."

"I know they love us, but that doesn't make it any easier, does it?" Evie said with a smile and a wrinkled nose.

"Definitely not."

"You look good, by the way, Ben. You would be matching her perfectly, if she were here."

Ben laughed. "I know. You made this vest and tie for me."

"Well, I am an excellent designer and seamstress," Evie smirked.

Ben checked his watch. "Okay, I think it's time to go. Is everyone ready?"

* * *

The group arrived at the dance just as it was beginning. Ben smiled as he subtly observed his best friend asking Evie for a dance while Jay and Jordan headed straight for the snack table. Carlos and Jane got drinks and then promptly sat down at one of the tables to talk. Ben found himself sneaking slowly away from the remainder of the group to just lean against the wall and observe.

A couple of songs later, Carlos found him. "You should come dance, man. Don't mope around all night. The whole group is gonna dance together. Come with us."

"Fine," Ben agreed, albeit hesitantly.

Ben danced with his friends to an old song called "Twist of Fate" and had a lot more fun than he expected. But when the next song was a slow one, he stepped out of the circle. Jane and Carlos paired off immediately, quickly followed by Doug and Evie, and Ben wasn't surprised when Jay asked Lonnie to dance, Jordan asked Dave, and Logan asked Hannah. He was the odd man out, which, he supposed, he wanted to be. Unless Mal was there, which-

Someone tapped him on the shoulder, and when he turned around, there was Mal, looking stunning in a lavender dress with green accents that perfectly matched his tie and vest.

He didn't know what to do or say. He could barely believe it. He just stood there a moment. Mal's face went from nervously excited to just nervous.

"Is it okay that I'm here?" she finally asked shyly.

"Is it okay? Oh my gosh! MAL!" Ben practically shouted, and the group of friends he came with (along with lots of other dancers in the vicinity) turned to look.

"Mal!" Evie squealed as she dragged Doug with her to practically tackle the girl.

Mal laughed as she stumbled backwards a step or two from the force of Evie's hug. "Hey E! The dress is perfect, thank you!"

"I can't believe you're here right now! I've barely heard from you in weeks! I haven't seen you in a month! I thought you were never coming back!" Evie was tearing up. "I thought I would never see you again," she whispered as she released her. The pair now stood in a small circle that consisted of Mal, Evie, Doug, Jay, Carlos, and Ben.

"Not a chance. I was always going to come back to you, but I had to wait until I was free of my mother. That was going to be when I turned 18, but thanks to Mr. Villeneuve, it'll be in just a few months."

Ben stood there slack-jawed with wide eyes. "My dad? You called him after all?"

Mal nodded and looked deeply into Ben's eyes. "It's thanks to you. I wouldn't have even thought about legal emancipation until you said something to me."

Evie squealed and hugged Ben. "Thank you!"

Jay stepped across the circle then and hugged Mal so tightly her feet left the floor for a moment. "I'm glad you're back," he said calmly, and then stepped out of the way.

Carlos was next. "It's good to see you, Mal! I'm glad you're home." Carlos smiled widely at her before he too hugged her tightly.

"It's so good to be home," Mal sighed, and then glanced at Ben again.

He finally collected himself and took her hand. "I'm glad you came back. Nothing was right when you were gone." Ben held Mal's gaze for a long moment.

"I'm sorry I left."

Doug coughed awkwardly from Evie's side. Mal looked over to him, breaking eye contact with Ben. "It's good to see you again, Mal. Can I, uh, get you a drink?"

Mal stepped over to him and hugged him. "Evie's been emailing me since I left. Thanks for always having her back, and Ben's."

"Of course. Now, about that drink?" Doug smiled. "In fact, let's all go get a drink. Evie, Jay, Carlos?"

The group dispersed, leaving Mal and Ben alone in the crowd again. Mal laughed. "Subtle, huh," she said facetiously.

"Yeah, he's always been better at just being straightforward." Ben laughed. "But, uh, do you want to sit down? Maybe talk a little?"

"Honestly Ben? Can we dance? I promise we can talk after tonight, but I just want to have one normal end-of-semester experience."

Ben smiled at her. "Yeah, of course. Can we wait til the next song?"

"Sure."

Ben looked at Mal, really looked at her for the first time since the initial shock of "OH MY GOSH, SHE'S HERE" had worn off. She looked stunning. Her dress was clearly an Evie original created just for her, and her hair was pulled up in a classy but simple bun near the top of her head, with a few tendrils left out to frame her face. She wore makeup, shimmery purple color on her eyelids and a light pink lipstick. And there, on her wrist, was the corsage his mother had insisted he buy for her.

"Oh my gosh, my mom was in on it!" he exclaimed. "The corsage!"

Mal laughed. "I wondered when you would notice. Yeah, your parents and the Whites have known everything. In fact, it was your mom's idea for me to come tonight. She saved me some dinner and helped me get ready and even took a few photos. I showed up at your house about ten minutes after you guys left, I guess. She drove me, since she's chaperoning the second half of the dance anyway."

"I can't believe she didn't tell me! Neither of them did!" Ben pouted for a moment.

"I made them promise. I didn't believe it would really happen until I got to your house tonight. I was so unsure."

"Well, I'm glad you're here, either way." At that moment, the previous song ended and Ben looked at Mal with a too-serious expression. "May I have this dance, my lady?" he asked with a courtly bow worthy of a king.

"I would be delighted, Mr. President," Mal responded with a goofy curtsy. The pair stepped out into the dance floor among all of the other dancing teenagers as the smooth voice of Billy Joel rang out over the crowd. Mal's hands rested comfortably behind Ben's neck and his were carefully on her waist. The pair swayed gently as _And So It Goes _played over the loudspeaker.

* * *

That evening, a smaller group from their Homecoming party gathered at Doug's house for a bonfire and then a sleepover. When they arrived at Doug's, Evie immediately dragged Mal upstairs (to the guest room where the girls would be sleeping) to get changed into something more comfortable. (Thanks to Belle, Mal did in fact have clothes for this part of the evening too.)

When the girls came down, their makeup was gone and their hair was no longer fancily coiffed. Instead, Mal wore a messy bun on top of her head, Evie wore a long french braid, and Jane's hair was unpinned and left down. All of the girls were in leggings and sweatshirts. The boys were waiting on them in the living room, having also changed (much more quickly) into pyjama pants and hoodies. Doug was with his mom gathering blankets for them to use out by the fire, but Ben, Carlos, and Jay were sitting awkwardly around the living room.

"I'm sorry, are those little crowns on your pants?" Mal sniggered as she sat down between Ben and Carlos on the couch.

Ben blushed and shrugged. "Maybe."

Just then Doug walked in from the kitchen, his arms full of blankets and a grocery bag hanging from his wrist. "You guys ready for a bonfire out back?"

The group (which consisted of Mal, Evie, Jane, Jay, Ben, Carlos, and Doug) headed out back where Doug's father was tending the fire. There were camp chairs set up all around the blaze and everyone took a seat. Doug's dad smiled at them as they came out.

"Hey gang, the fire's all ready for ya. Doug, the emergency water bucket is right here. Don't do anything foolish. The roasting sticks are behind you. You kids have fun." And he headed back into the house.

The group talked and laughed, making smores and roasting hotdogs (the provisions from the grocery bag Doug carried) for about twenty minutes, until finally Evie said, "So Mal, are you gonna tell us what happened?"

"Yeah, Mal. How are you back?" Carlos questioned.

Mal took a deep breath. "You don't have to tell us now if you're not up for it," Ben reassured her quietly.

"True," Jay agreed from across the fire. "But let's be real. You'll have to tell the story fewer times if you just spill it now, while you've got all your most important people here."

Mal laughed. "Who says you qualify, Vizier?" she said laughingly before growing a bit somber. "In all seriousness, I don't mind. It's kind of a long story, but if you guys want to hear it, I'll go ahead and tell you."

The group nodded, so Mal shared in detail, with only a few interruptions, about her experiences from the car accident until now.

She told them about getting on a bus after watching Ben carried off by an ambulance. She rode several buses, just finding a new one when her current ride had reached the end of its route. She rode buses all the way to Agrabah where she ditched her cell phone and hung out for about three days (which was how long it took to get there). Then she realized how deeply she missed home, and she knew she couldn't just run forever. She decided to sneak back and live in Camelot with an old associate of her father's until she found a place of her own. She bought a new, untraceable phone through that same associate and got a job waiting tables in the evenings. She really thought she could survive like that without drawing her mother's notice for the next year and a half, although it would mean not returning to Pixie Hollow, Auradon, or Varin until at least then.

While Mal was taking a sip of her water, Doug asked her why she decided to call Ben after three weeks of silence. Mal shrugged. "I had emailed Evie, Jay, and Carlos, and they all responded to me. I knew they were okay, and I knew they knew that I was okay too. But while I had heard that Ben was 'okay' physically, I wanted to check in on him. I knew what I had done, or, well, planned to do and why I had to leave, but I didn't think he would know, and I wanted to know if he was alright. And I wanted him to know that I was alright too. Even though I wasn't entirely sure if he would care."

Ben grabbed her hand. "I'm really glad you did."

Mal nodded and continued. "After Ben came to see me, it took me less than twenty-four hours to call his dad. I've been so used to doing things on my own, with no help from anyone else that it hadn't even occurred to me to look for help. But sure enough, I called Mr. V the next morning and told him everything. I was afraid he would hate me, but he was really kind. He said he thought we had grounds for legal emancipation as long as we could prove that being under my mother's guardianship would be harmful to me. Of course, I had experienced the truth of that reality, but didn't know how to prove it. So Mr. V went to Varin and spoke discreetly with some of our old neighbors and a few of my teachers from Dragon Hall. I guess he had enough testimony about my mother to at least convince a judge to consider the case and grant a restraining order against her. After that, I didn't really know what to do, but Mrs. V came to see me in Camelot last week and convinced me that it was safe to come back. She even smoothed things over with Headmistress Paxson so I can finish this semester over the winter holidays and continue at AP in the spring. And she's the one who planned this whole surprise out for tonight. She even got Snow in on it, to convince E to finish my dress.

"Nothing's settled with my mother yet, not exactly, but Fred and Snow said they would accept temporary guardianship until everything is done. And that if I want to stay with them until I graduate, I can."

"So everything worked out after all, huh?" Carlos said with a grin.

"I guess it did."


	15. Epilogue: Happily Ever After

Two and a half years later, Mal was sitting around a bonfire in Doug's backyard again. This time, she laid on her back on a blanket watching the stars, holding hands with her boyfriend and feeling relaxed. "I can't believe we graduated today," she said, breathless.

"I know. It's insane," Ben said, squeezing her hand. "And in just a couple of months, we're going to be headed to Camelot for school: you to the Art Institute of Camelot, and me to Camelot University. It's gonna be great."

"I just can't believe my life has worked out this way. As a kid, I could only _dream _of getting a scholarship to school, and I never really thought it would happen."

"And then somehow, it did. And not only that, but you get to live in the same city as your amazing boyfriend."

"Yeah, he is pretty great, isn't he?" Mal said with a smile.

"Okay, sit up you two lovebirds! We don't just want to spend tonight listening to you gush about your relationship!" Carlos called from across the bonfire.

"What-ever, Carlos!" Mal teased as she sat up. She threw a marshmallow at him over the fire. "Like you and Jane aren't _just _as bad as Ben and I!"

"I assure you, we're not! Especially not around other people!" Carlos responded, but Jane only giggled.

"She's kind of right, Carlos," she said as she reached over and patted his knee gently. "I mean, didn't my mom basically say the same thing when you were over for dinner last week?"

Jay burst into laughter at Jane's response. "I'm sorry, you were told to stop being so mushy by Headmistress Paxson? That woman is the softest, mushiest person out there! She _loves _happy endings!"

The rest of the group laughed along with Jay while Carlos pouted good-naturedly in his seat. Jane leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I don't think we're too mushy," she said with a smile.

"Well that's what counts." Carlos smirked.

"I can't believe we're all going our separate ways," Evie sighed, leaning her head on Doug's shoulder.

"I know," Doug said. "With you headed to Paris for fashion school, and Jay taking a year off to travel before joining Lonnie at Sherwood U, and Ben and Mal in Camelot, Auradon University is going to feel so lonely."

"Hey, Carlos and I will be there!" Jane exclaimed. "After all, they have the best computer science program in the country!"

"Yeah, you won't be totally alone with me as your roommate!" Carlos added.

"You'll practically be sick of both of us before the first semester ends," Jane laughed.

"Hey, no one could _ever _get sick of us!" Carlos protested.

"Yeah, no. That's not exactly true," Jay responded with an eye roll.

"What? Jane and I are a _delight_!" Carlos insisted.

"Yeah, until I walk into our room and you're cuddling and whispering in each other's ears. Like, seriously, you guys are disgusting."

Lonnie laughed from her seat next to Jay. "It's a good thing I know you better than that, Jay Vizier, or I would think you don't have a romantic bone in your body!"

Jay blushed. "They don't need to know that, Lon!" he yelped.

The rest of the group cackled.

Lonnie stage-whispered conspiratorially. "You guys should hear what Jay planned for Valentine's day!"

"No, Lonnie!" Jay tried to interrupt, but his girlfriend was undeterred.

"He cooked all of my favorite foods, borrowed a projector and dvd player and arranged a picnic in the center of town. We watched my favorite movie, _Ever After _with Drew Barrymore, and he cried at the end. He was so glad the prince realized what a fool he was to give up such an amazing woman."

The rest of the group laughed even louder as Jay's blush intensified. "Gee thanks. Glad to know that my girlfriend always has my back," he said sarcastically.

"Jay, my wonderful boyfriend who I care for deeply. You're going away for a year. If I don't embarrass you in front of your friends now, when will I get the chance? It's not like they're coming with me when I visit you during Fall Break." She gently took his face and pulled it to her own. "After all, if I have to spend a whole year in Sherwood Forest without you, I have to have some fond memories of our time together to enjoy," she said quietly before leaning in and kissing him.

"And you think that _we're _mushy!" Carlos scoffed. "Get a room, you two!"

Jay responded by throwing marshmallows at Carlos without looking and then deepening the kiss.

The rest of the group catcalled, but Mal just turned to Ben and whispered in his ear. "I think you saved us back then. Look at us now. It wouldn't have been possible if you hadn't taken a chance for us. And now I know that we'll be friends forever, all of us."

"You saved us too," Ben whispered back. "And you're right. We've been through too much together to ever be separated. This group is bonded for life."

"I love you."

"I love you too."


	16. Deleted Scenes

**Author's Note: Hi everyone! So, there were a few moments that I imagined as part of this story but that, for whatever reason, didn't make it into the story. For some of them, the words just wouldn't come. For others, I felt like they were unnecessary to the story. But I still love them, and wanted to share them with you, if you're interested. Here are four "Deleted Scenes" if you will. I'll include a brief explanation of where it fits before each one. Enjoy!**

* * *

**This scene would essentially be a prologue. I imagine it happening sometime in January or February, before Ben brings up the VK's applications at the meeting in April.**

"Hey Fred, I want you to look at this letter." Snow White held out a stiff looking sheet of paper to her husband.

"What is it?" Fred asked. He took the page and skimmed it. "Who is Evelyn Grimhilde? And why is this Mr. B. Baker connecting us to her?" He handed the letter back to Snow.

"What have I told you about my dad?" Snow asked as her husband took a seat in an armchair beside the couch.

"Not much. He raised you alone after your mom died in middle school, then he got remarried after you left for college, right? And then died kind of unexpectedly not long after that. You didn't trust his second wife, but after he died, you didn't have to see her again."

"Yeah. He was a good dad, but not very wise. I really didn't like his second wife, Queenie. She was pretty nasty to me, and very superficial. But she had a daughter who was only about a year old when they got married. Dad loved that little girl so much. And then he died."

"So Evelyn Grimhilde was Queenie's daughter with her first husband?"

"With the judge of the pageant she was in. They were never married."

"I see." Fred paused for a moment, looking at his wife. "So why did you get a letter from a private investigator giving you a report on Evelyn Grimhilde?"

"Because I asked him to find her." Snow took a deep breath and explained. "Dad loved Evie. And when I was looking for the old bread maker up in the attic yesterday, I found an old photo album of his. There was a picture of him holding her, looking so happy. I wanted to know what had become of her."

"And?"

"And she and Queenie live in Varin now. She's good in school, hangs out with three other kids all the time, a Mallory Faison, Jason Vizier, and Carlos deVil. She's beautiful." Snow held out a small stack of glossy photos to her husband.

He took them and started flicking through the stack. "She's the one with the dark hair?" he asked. Snow nodded and hummed the affirmative. "So, what do you want to do with the information you got?"

"I think I want to meet her. See if I can help her in any way."

"That sounds like a good idea. But how would you contact her?"

"I told the investigator to contact her and tell her that she has a relative looking for her. He's going to set up a meeting, if possible."

"Okay. We'll do what we can for your… niece? step-sister?"

"She's my step-sister, but you can call her your niece if you want." Snow smiled at her husband. "Thank you for understanding."

"Of course Snow. Your family is my family."

* * *

**This one is sometime in late October, after Chapter 8 (where Evie is accused of cheating) but before Family Day (Chapters 10/11). Mal is still around. **

Evie had come over to Doug's house to study one Saturday in late October. They had spent the afternoon in the Dweorg family kitchen poring over text books and class notes and labs, and then Doug's mom had invited Evie to stay for dinner.

Over dinner, Doug couldn't help but think about how well Evie got on with his family. Even his little sister loved him, and Dana was hard to please. And Evie took his brother Derek's teasing so well it was incredible, although it helped that she knew him already from her French class.

After dinner, Evie offered to help Mrs. D with the dishes. "Really, Mrs. Dweorg, I don't mind. Washing the dishes is the least I can do to thank you for letting me come over to study with Doug and for a perfectly lovely dinner."

But of course, Doug's mom refused. "Evie, dear, I appreciate the offer, but it's not necessary. I enjoy cleaning the kitchen after dinner. It helps me decompress at the end of the day."

"Well, if you're sure…" Evie had accepted Mrs. D's response, so Doug dragged her into the living room.

"Hey, I was wondering… I know it's a little ways off, but would you go to Homecoming with me?" Doug had no idea if she would be willing. Ever since that day with Chad in physics, Doug and Evie had grown much closer, and Doug thought she had grown more interested in him, but he wasn't sure if that was enough for her to go to the dance with him.

But Doug's worries were quickly relieved when Evie's smile widened and she said excitedly, "Of course!"

"Great!" Doug, feeling more confident after her response, said, "So, uh, you wanna watch a movie?"

"Right now?" Evie looked a little surprised.

"Sure. It's Friday night, only 7 o'clock. Unless you've got other plans."

"I don't have other plans. I'd love to. What do you wanna watch?"

"Let's scroll through Netflix and see if there's anything good?"

It took less than five minutes for Evie to gasp excitedly. "I didn't know they had put _The Princess Bride _back on Netflix! It's my favorite movie!"

"I've never seen it," Doug responded. "You wanna watch it now?"

"You've never seen _The Princess Bride?_ Inconceivable! It's an 80s classic! It's so good! Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles… This movie has _everything!" _

Doug laughed. "It sounds perfect, let's watch." He turned on the movie and settled on the couch next to Evie.

An hour and forty minutes later, Doug looked over to his friend/study partner/maybe probably more than friends/date to Homecoming. "So that was your favorite movie."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Isn't it great?" She sighed. "I love happy endings. There's nothing like it."

Doug hummed in agreement.

* * *

**This chapter comes after Mal has left, sometime in early December, during Chapter 12-ish. It's a Devie First Date moment. (I really love Devie.) I was _dying _to figure out how to tell this story about Jay and Evie, but it didn't really make sense to put it anywhere in the story. It wasn't necessary. But I also wanted the pretty unnecessary Devie first date, so I combined them and now we have this. **

"So, you've mentioned before that there was a time when the four of you weren't all best friends. What happened to bring you guys all together?" Doug asked one afternoon. He had asked Evie to coffee, so they were sitting in overstuffed armchairs in a secluded corner of Flora and Fauna's Coffeehouse in Auradon.

Evie took a sip of her flat white and sighed, staring off into space. "Carlos and I had been friends for years. We grew up in the same apartment building. Carlos and I just sort of were always friends. I seriously couldn't tell you when we met or how we became friends. We just always have been. There was this field next to the building where all the kids played, and some of my earliest memories are playing in that field with Carlos. Anyway, we didn't become friends with Jay and Mal until much later. It was early in middle school. Sixth or seventh grade. There was this eighth grader, Gina Gothel. Her mom was the principal, so Gina basically ran the school.

"Mrs. Gothel was a lot like my mom, really focused on appearances. So when Gina saw me, with impressive make-up skills, perfectly styled hair, and cute outfits I had made from the second-hand clothes my mom could afford (thanks to a needle and thread), she instantly hated me. The first time she saw me, she pushed me into a mud puddle which ruined the skirt I'd made from one of her old dresses from the 80s. I was devastated, but Carlos was there, so I was okay. But the next day, when Carlos was nowhere to be found and there was no one else around, she cornered me behind the school.

"She came at me with scissors to cut my hair. I screamed, terrified to lose my hair or worse, and Jay heard me. He came running. He was always fast and strong, even back then. When Jay arrived, he wrestled Gina down and pulled the scissors from her hands. He ended up getting cut in the process. He still has a scar on his arm. Anyway, one of the teachers showed up right after that, so we told her what happened. Jay had to go to the nurse and I was escorted to Mrs. Gothel's office to explain what happened.

"Gina was furious that I told on her, and the next day she tried to push me around again, but before she could, Jay and Mal showed up. Jay told her that if she was gonna mess with me, she'd have to go through him, Mal, and Carlos first. So Gina backed off. And then it was four of us." Evie took a deep breath. "I'm really glad he showed up when he did. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if he hadn't."

"I'm sure your hair would have grown back eventually," Doug joked.

Evie laughed. "I mean long term. The rest of my time in Varin was more bearable because there were four of us. And now Mal is my best friend. They both walked into my life at the perfect moment. In middle school, you need a girl best friend. I love Carlos, but he's not one I could ever talk to about boys or daydream with about who would be my first kiss." Evie's eyes got a bit misty thinking about her MIA best friend.

Doug tried to lighten the mood a little. "Yeah, I would have been lost in middle school without Ben. I mean, we didn't really talk about boys or daydream about first kisses, but we played video games and strategized how to talk to girls."

Evie laughed. "I'm not surprised. Middle school is rough. Middle school girls are horrible."

"But we made it through. And now we're here." Doug smiled over his coffee cup before taking a sip.

"I'm glad we are. And speaking of being here…" Evie paused for a moment and smiled widely. "It took you long enough to ask me on a date."

Doug chuckled. "Well, at least I did it eventually."

"I'm glad you did."

* * *

**In Chapter 14, Mal says that Belle came to visit her in Camelot. This is that interaction. I love the idea of Belle reaching out to Mal and being almost like a second mother for her. **

Mal checked the time. It was almost 4, so she needed to start heading to work. She was waiting tables nearby at a nice restaurant called Tiana's Palace, and she needed to change into her uniform. As she stuffed her sketchbook into her bag, she heard a familiar voice she honestly thought she would never hear again, and she froze.

"Mal, there you are!"

Slowly, the teenager turned around and saw Belle Villeneuve walking towards her. Belle was dressed in boots, jeans, and a navy jacket with a bright yellow scarf. She swept quickly across the public park and was soon right next to Mal.

"Uh, hi Mrs. V. What's going on?" Mal was suddenly hit with the urge to run. She did her best to quell that urge though, at least until Ben's mom had said her piece.

"Well, Adam said that you had given him permission to talk to the school and the Whites about what's been going on with you, and as a member of the faculty at Auradon Prep, I was informed about what happened."

Mal nodded. "So, why did you come looking for me?" Mal could feel tears welling up in her eyes. She had come to really love this woman and was so afraid of what she would say next.

"I just wanted to make sure that you're okay."

Mal started crying, and Belle pulled her into a tight hug. "It's okay, dear. It's all going to be okay. Adam is really good at what he does."

"It's not-that. I was sure you-you hated me," Mal explained between sobs.

"Oh Mal, never."

Belle held Mal in a tight hug for another moment before Mal pulled away. "Oh no, I have to get to work."

"You wait tables at Tiana's Palace, right?" Belle questioned as she handed Mal a pocket pack of tissues.

Mal took the pack gratefully. "Yeah. My dad's friend who I've been staying with knows the Head Waiter and got me a job there."

"So, as it turns out, I know the Head Waiter too. And the owner. Tiana and I were friends in high school. And she's married to Mr. Maldon at AP."

"Oh."

"I hope you don't mind, but I asked Tiana if you could have the night off. I explained only a little bit, but she was happy to do me a favor since I set her and Mr. Maldon up years ago. And Lumiere was happy to find someone to cover for you."

"Oh, but-" Mal began.

"Your next paycheck won't reflect your absence tonight, although you won't get tips, obviously. I knew you would need the money, and Tiana gets that. She started out waiting tables too. So she was happy to help you out this time."

"I appreciate your looking out for me, but why exactly do I need someone to cover for me at work?"

"I was hoping you would let me take you to dinner tonight. Of course, you are welcome to say no. I warned Ti and Lumiere that you might show up to work anyway. They were fine either way."

"Oh. Are you sure?" Mal sniffled a little.

"Of course I'm sure, Mal. You matter a great deal to my family." Belle smiled gently at Mal.

Mal nodded and averted her eyes. "Okay. Where did you want to go?"

"Well, I was thinking Tony's Italian for dinner, if you're not opposed, but I also want to stop by one of my favorite coffee shops to get some dessert, if possible. Do you know if The Snuggly Duckling is still around?"

"You know it?" Mal looked at Belle with surprise.

"I went to Camelot University for my undergraduate degree, so I'm pretty familiar with the city. Snuggly Duckling was open 24/7 way back when. And they made the _best _cupcakes! They used to make this Earl Grey cupcake that's _still _one of my favorites."

"Well, I frequent The Snuggly Duckling. It's still around. And they still make incredible cupcakes. The guy who makes them now has become a friend of mine."

"Perfect. And you're okay for Tony's?"

"Isn't Tony's kind of fancy?"

"It's not too fancy, but if you'd rather go somewhere else, we can."

"No, Tony's sounds fine."

"Then let's go."

Walking down the street with Belle, Mal couldn't help feel dejavu from when she had done almost exactly the same thing with her son.

"So, did Ben tell you about coming to see me?"

Belle chuckled. "That boy. He didn't come right out and tell us, but he mentioned enjoying the Garden of the Sword, checking out a used book store, and having coffee with 'a friend.' Adam and I didn't know for sure until you called the next day, but we certainly suspected."

"I'm sorry. For all of it. The scam, the broken arm, the sneaking."

Belle sighed as they arrived in front of Tony's. "It's been a tough semester, but it's okay. As far as this con you were trying to pull, don't worry about it. In the end, you didn't do anything. As for Ben's arm, it'll heal. And the sneaking. Well, every teenager does some sneaking. At least his sneaking isn't dangerous." Belle turned to the Hostess of the restaurant. "Hi, I have a reservation for two under Villeneuve."

"Of course, right this way, ma'am." The hostess grabbed two menus and led them to a booth with a checkered red-and-white table cloth. She handed them their menus and took their drink orders and then Belle and Mal were alone again.

"So, what made you come see me?" Mal asked. She had never liked to beat around the bush.

Belle smiled. "I told you, I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"That can't be it," Mal said openly. "If you wanted to make sure I was okay you could have called me. Mr. V has my number."

"That's true. It's not the only reason. I wanted you to know that Adam has had some success finding testimony that would encourage Judge Powhatan to remove your mother's custody rights. She's already willing to grant a restraining order against her on your behalf. Which means you should be able to come home soon."

"I can't go back. Not until everything is really finished. And I would have to find a place to live and a job to support myself."

"Mal. You asked for help with this. There are still people in Pixie Hollow who want to help you. Fred and Snow would be happy to let you live with them as long as you need. And Adam is very good at what he does. And he thinks that it should be okay for you to come back soon."

Mal saw a gleam of something in Belle's eyes. "What are you thinking I should be back for?"

"Homecoming. It's next Friday."

"I can't go to Homecoming. I'm not even a student at Auradon Prep anymore. I can't imagine they'd welcome me back with a whole month's worth of missing work in every class."

"Well, I actually spoke to Headmistress Paxson about that for you. Under the circumstances, if you complete all of the makeup work your teachers have compiled for you over the last month by the end of Christmas break, you are more than welcome to return in January. And you can come to Homecoming, if you want to."

"I wouldn't have a dress to wear." Mal felt like Belle had a response for every excuse, but she had to try. She was nervous about the possibility of going back. Of seeing everyone. Especially Ben.

"Evie was halfway done with your dress when you left. Snow has been encouraging her to keep working on it anyway. It should be done in time."

"Is there anything I can say that would convince you that I shouldn't come back?" Mal asked wryly.

Belle flashed her a victorious smile. "If you could honestly tell me that you don't _want _to come back, that you don't _miss_ everyone."

Mal shrugged. "I know when I've been beaten. Okay. But you can't tell anyone I'm coming back. Just in case."

"If you insist, Mal."

"I do." There was a pause as the waiter brought them their food. When he had left, Mal reached out and grabbed Belle's hand. "Thank you."


End file.
